The Siren
by Catherine Grissom
Summary: He is a hanyou, barely accepted by the world. She is a mysterious singer, nameless to all except to those whom she trusts. When they meet, it's going to be a wild ride.
1. Prologue

_Title: "The Siren"_

_Author: Catherine Grissom_

_Rating: T, possibly M later...(Ha! I get the rating system!)_

_Pairings: Erm...There's a bit of a list: Inu/Kag, Mir/San, Sess/Rin, Kouga/Kagura, Nar/Kik...I'll list more later, if I figure them out..._

_Disclaimer: Anything recognized belongs to either Rumiko Takahashi or Tuomas Holopainen...And if you recognize those names I may be forced to hug you...Walking in the Air belongs to whoever wrote it..._

_Note: This is what happens when you read Greywolf's fics repeatedly. They are awesome. Go check them out. This is also what happens when you drink too much caffiene and then listen to your small collection of hard rock/metal..._

_And, without further ado, On with the deranged piece of fiction!_

The young woman looked over the list. Nothing new. Start off with a crowd favorite, in this case 'She Is My Sin', move on to a slightly slower one, 'Ever Dream', her version of 'Walking in the Air' came next, then another crowd pleaser, 'Deep Silent Complete'. After that, she would do her signature then leave the stage.

She glanced over at her friend and co-worker, who gave a reassuring smile, then pulled the hood to her robe over her head.

The anonymity had been her idea. She'd told all of them that if she were to do this, no one would know who she was. They'd told her 'fine' but insisted on a stage name.

Hence the small, out of the way, semi-rock bar's announcement of 'The Siren'. She didn't argue the name; she actually liked it. What she didn't like was the contest that evolved.

It had started off as a couple of patrons trying to guess who she was and had turned into an advertising gimmick to get more customers. She figured that the lucky one who did figure out her identity would get about $3000 out of it.

"Hey," Sango's voice broke through her thoughts. "You alright? You zoned out for a minute there."

"I'm just fine," she smiled, slipping into her father's native accent, pronouncing the 'j' as a 'y'. "Thank you."

Sango smiled back before going into 'older sister' mode. "Now, you know that if at any time you don't think you can handle it, or if someone gets a bit rowdy, we're right there."

"Sango," the smile slipped for a second. "I know this. You forget that this is not the first time."

"I know, I just worry about you. We all do," the two women embraced for a moment. When she pulled away, Sango narrowed her eyes and morphed into 'drill sergeant' mode. "Repeat after me: venom."

"Wenom," the hooded girl replied, making sure to keep the accent.

"The."

"Da."

"Unbearable."

"Unbeerable."

Sango smiled. "I love the way that word sounds."

"You would," she sighed.

"Thanks for taking the lech's table tonight, by the way."

"Why do you all complain about him so much?" she shook her head. "He was a perfect gentleman every time I was over there."

"I think it was his buddy's doing," Sango admitted. "I don't think that guy could crack a smile without killing himself."

"True."

Mysterious though she was in the midnight blue clinging robe shot through with silver thread, the woman was slightly nervous. She bounced on the balls of her feet for a moment before clasping her hands together, crinkling the list, and then twisting her mother's ring.

"Christ, girl," Sango muttered. "You're making me jittery. You still have a couple minutes."

"Sorry," the hooded girl winced.

"Soo…What's on the list?" Sango smirked; the girl would wager she knew damn well what was on the list.

"She Is My Sin, Ever Dream, Walking In The Air, Deep Silent Complete, and the signature. But I'm tempted to just end with Deep Silent Complete."

"Sounds like a fun lineup," Sango grinned wickedly.

The girl narrowed her eyes. "You aren't the one performing them."

"True," Sango's grin grew. "What's that one stanza of She Is My Sin again?"

"Why?"

"'Cause I want to know when to check the pervert's reaction."

Sango ducked quickly as the other girl swiped playfully at her.

"Ummm…" A quiet, unsure voice broke through the light atmosphere. Both women turned guiltily.

"Yes?" the hooded woman asked kindly, the first to recover.

"You've got twenty seconds," the sandy haired man said, over his insecurity, smiling brightly, if a little dumbly.

"Thank you, Hojo," Hojo nodded and left the room. "Guess I better get my ass out there, eh, San?"

"Break a leg," Sango said softly, watching her friend head for the small stage.

_Yeah, not exactly the best opener, eh...No mind, I'll try not to make this too tedious. Just tell me what you think. Even if you hate it._


	2. Chapter One

_Note: In case it isn't obvious who our two leads are...This should clear it up. _

_Disclaimer: I still own nothing. Damn._

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this, Miroku!" the silver-haired hanyou groused. He sulked, continuing his glaring competition with the man across the table.

"You'll thank me once you see her," the lavender-eyed man reassured. "You too, Sess," the golden-eyed youkai broke the friendly glare-fest to raise an eyebrow at the human, "You were looking for new talent. She's new to you, and she's definitely talented. Now be nice, our waitress is coming."

Sure enough, an onyx-haired woman strode up to the table, a warm, welcoming smile on her face. "Hello, my name's Kagome. I'll be your server for the evening. Is there anything I can get you at the moment?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Two beers and a Mai Tai."

"I can't go anywhere with you two without you bickering, can I?" Miroku scolded.

"Whoever said the Mai Tai was for him?" Inuyasha smirked, giving Miroku a pointed look while Sesshomaru turned an amused half-smirk to his brother.

The waitress, Kagome, laughed lightly as Miroku feigned hurt.

"You may as well make the order three beers. I do not believe you will be getting a serious answer out of either of them," Sesshomaru answered quietly.

Both Inuyasha and Miroku blinked at Sesshomaru, while Kagome only smiled more brightly.

"I'll get those right out to you," she turned on her heel and walked back to the actual bar to deliver the order.

"Did the great Sesshomaru," Miroku began, seemingly in awe, "just deign to speak to a mere mortal?"

"Miroku," the youkai in question started.

"Yes, oh Almighty One?"

"Do shut up."

"Well," it had taken Kagome less than a minute to have the order out. "Did someone grow an extra head while I was gone, or are you normally this silent?" she grinned as she handed out the beer.

No one answered.

"Alright," she wasn't fazed a bit. "If you want anything else, burger, fries, peanuts, more beer, I'll be around, don't be afraid to ask." She smiled again and was gone.

"The staff is certainly friendly," Sesshomaru remarked placidly.

"Yeah."

"Definitely," evidently the two nitwits were shocked.

Inwardly, Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. With a minute sigh he reverted back to what was affectionately called his 'Cold Bastard' persona, "This Sesshomaru would like to inquire as to when your purported 'new talent' will be appearing."

"Uh, sometime in the near future," Miroku replied with a placating smile.

Sesshomaru showed no expression; his brother could, and did, do it for him, "No shit."

Miroku merely grinned.

* * *

"Kagome," the calm voice came from over her shoulder. 

She turned. "Hi Kikyou, how've you been?"

The older woman allowed a soft smile to cross her face. "I've been very well."

"Someone finally got themselves a date with everyone's favorite DJ, eh?" Kagome kidded gently.

"I never could fool you," Kikyou observed. "They sent me to tell you to be down there in a minute or two."

"Thank you," Kagome said quietly. "You know they signed us up to close tonight, right?"

"Do you want me to see if Naraku can stay late to help?" Kikyou said, referring to aforementioned 'favorite DJ'.

"If you could, that would be nice," Kagome admitted sheepishly.

Kikyou nodded and moved off to where Naraku was leaning against a wall.

Kagome fought back the urge to jump up and down and squeal. It was about damn time! Naraku was a good man, despite his somewhat creepy aura, protective of those he loved, and Kikyou had been withdrawn since her bad break-up the year before. They would be good for each other.

Or they had better be…If either one of them was hurt she'd personally track down the perpetrator.

Shaking her head softly, Kagome calmed herself and strode towards the room where Sango would be waiting with that confounded robe.

* * *

The atmosphere around the table had just returned to normal when Miroku suddenly got a very interesting smile on his face. Inuyasha figured it was a variation on his 'I know something you don't' look. 

"You may want to turn around now," he pointed to the stage.

The brothers turned to see an obviously female figure in a hooded robe standing center stage. She didn't move for almost twenty seconds, but Inuyasha noticed that her hand was tapping her thigh in a tempo.

When she did move, three quick beats instantly sounded. The sound of the drums faded and a light synth melody started. Then the three beats sounded again. After the second synth run, an electric guitar playing a slight staccato riff joined the mix and a steady rhythm was established.

Her hands never stopped moving, it seemed as if she were playing the notes in the air.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sesshomaru raise an eyebrow.

Then she began to sing.

"_Take heed dear heart  
__Once apart she can touch nor me nor you  
__Dressed as one  
__A wolf will betray a lamb"_

Her voice was a lightly accented soprano with just a slight amount of vibrato. A small smirk crossed her lips as she sang. The effect was not arrogance but a seductive mystique.

Inuyasha tilted his head to the side and allowed himself a small smile. This would be an interesting show.

"_Lead astray the gazers  
The_ _razors on your seducing skin  
In the meadow of sinful thoughts  
Every flower's a perfect one"_

Sesshomaru glanced at Miroku, who had that infernal smirk still in place and was openly staring at the woman. Reminding himself to throw something at the man should he start drooling, the youkai turned to his brother…

…Who was watching the figure with surprising interest. He wondered if his brother saw what he did.

The astonishing power going into the display.

The instruments began a short lead in and he returned his thoughts to the girl.

"_To paradise with pleasure haunted  
__Haunted by fear"_

Miroku knew he had the face of a lovesick idiot right now, but he couldn't help it. The lovely waitress he'd seen almost every night was standing off to the side of the stage.

He knew this song well enough. It was expected, what with his being here three nights a week. He knew that her voice had dropped nearly an octave for the last two lines and that it would return to the former pitch on the next, so he allowed his mind to wander.

If he'd been given to headbanging, he would have on the beat that signaled the beginning of the chorus.

"_A sin for him  
Desire within  
Desire within  
A burning veil  
For the bride too dear for him"_

Counter-beat here, small riff there, Kagome knew these so well that she only had to be sure that her hand kept the tempo. The superfluous movements were only for show.

Sango was just off stage left and had a smirk on her face that told Kagome she was amused.

She only needed to look at the three men at table twelve to know why. Allowing her patented 'Siren' smirk to grow, she continued the song.

"_A sin for him  
Desire within  
Desire within  
Fall in love with your deep, dark sin"_

The girl was surprising, to say the least. As she sang, one hand, kept slightly lower than the other, fingered the chords for the guitar's part, the other kept the tempo by raising and dropping the wrist and added the synth notes by imitating pressing the keys.

Whoever they were, the ones who provided the soundtracks were good. Another key change signaled the end of the chorus.

"_I am the fallen  
You are what my sins enclose  
Lust is not as creative  
As its discovery"_

Sango nearly cackled aloud at that. She'd purposely picked this song to watch that lech's reaction. He was currently sporting a rather glazed look and a small, contented grin. His expression amused her no end.

The change for the bridge came again and Sango made a mental note to tell Kagome to 'air-guitar' that part one day.

"_To paradise with pleasure haunted  
__Haunted by fear  
__A sin for him  
__Desire within  
__Desire within  
__A burning veil  
__For the bride too dear for him"_

'Rest of the chorus, tag, a capella chorus, then close out,' Kagome ran through the remainder of the song in her head.

She looked at table twelve again. The dark-haired 'lech' was smiling serenely and looking rather dazed. The younger of the silver-haired was leaning forward in his seat, his head cocked to the side, an interested look on his face. The elder sat straight, his eyes narrowed, analyzing each move, she'd wager. The three were a regular motley crew.

"_A sin for him  
Desire within  
Desire within  
Fall in love with your deep dark sin"_

The guitar took a solo while the synth and drums provided continual back up. The riff was fast and melodic; the second portion of it repeating, slightly higher, before the tag.

When the woman sang again the vibrato was stronger, the smirk slightly devilish. Her voice was strong, demanding the attention of the audience.

"_Bless me, undress me  
Pick your prey in a wicked way  
God I must confess…  
…I do envy the sinners"_

The brothers blinked simultaneously while Miroku's smirk grew. How he loved that part…

After recovering from the shock of the stanza, his friends, he noticed, seemed to be even more interested.

A sustained chord on the guitar and the synth provided the only back up for the next few lines.

"_A sin for him  
Desire within  
A burning veil  
For the bride too dear for him"_

Her wrist dropped three times in quick succession, and the instruments came back full force. She took a small breath before jumping into the final chorus.

"_A sin for him  
Desire within  
Desire within  
A burning veil  
For the bride too dear for him  
A sin for him  
Desire within  
Desire_ _within _  
_Fall in love with your deep, dark sin"_

The guitar's riff returned once more to close out the song, which ended as it began; with three short beats.

Her hands remained poised for three seconds before flowing down to her side again. The staff initiated the applause and soon the patrons joined in.

Kagome allowed it to go on for nearly thirty seconds before calmly raising one hand. The applause faded out.

"Thank you," she said quietly, accent firmly in place. "As is customary, I will now answer one question."

'The hell?' Inuyasha narrowed his eyes.

"Contest," Miroku replied to the unspoken question. "First to guess her identity wins the purse. I think it's up to nearly three thousand now," his mouth snapped shut, his eyes glued to the stage.

A tall, brown-haired woman strode onstage carrying a box. She muttered something to the robed figure and a soft lilting laugh filled the air.

Miroku's mysterious smile grew. If he didn't watch it, his head was going to split.

The figure took a slip of paper from the box. Unfolding it with delicate hands, she tilted her head to read it.

"Ah," there was a definite smile in her voice. "I wondered when this question would come up."

When she said nothing for a moment, Inuyasha exhaled impatiently. He heard a snicker next to him and turned to glare at Miroku.

"Patience, kemo-sabe, patience," Miroku soothed, a patronizing grin on his face.

Inuyasha narrowed his glare and flicked his friend off.

"How old am I?" the accented voice interrupted. "Hmm," there was probably a smirk to rival Miroku's on her face now. "I'd say, I'm old enough to know pain but young enough to still love cartoons."

"That answers nothing," Inuyasha muttered.

"I think, dear brother, that that was the point," the level voice answered him.

"Feh."

"I know," the woman sounded as though she were coddling a petulant child. "I'm not very much help, am I? I don't want to make it too easy for you, now do I?"

Her head raised so they could see the slightly smartass smirk on her face. "Let's move on shall we?"

Her hand came up again and she began playing a soft, slightly melancholy piano melody in the air. The first few notes sounded before she sang.

"_Ever felt away with me?  
__Just once that all I need  
__Entwined in finding you one day"_

A slight string accompaniment joined, adding to the melancholy feel.

"_Ever felt away without me?  
__My love it lies so deep  
__Ever dream of me"_

She stood stock still, allowing her fingers to continue the piano melody. Then she added a slight crescendo of horns before allowing the drums to enter, the beat to pick up, and the strings to take over the melody. The effect was not unlike backing music for a well-played dramatic sword fight.

Kagome smiled. Although this one was more complex, it was infinitely more fun. If it weren't against the image, she would have started dancing.

The strings continued for a bit before sustaining a note, then the drums played out a miniature lead in.

"_Would you do it with me?  
__Heal the scars  
__And change the stars?  
__Would you do it for me?  
__Turn loose the heaven within?"_

Sango watched her friend. She knew what this song meant to Kagome. Despite what happened she refused to give up her belief that there was one perfect person for everyone.

Naïve, yes, but some damn good music came out of it and it was part of what made her Kag. And if anyone tried to 'cure her' of that ideal, Sango would not hesitate to beat the shit out of them.

"_I'd take you away  
__Cast away  
__On a lonely day  
__Bosom for a teary cheek  
__My song can but borrow your grace"_

The lyrics were sentimental, but not overly sappy. Sesshomaru found the mix of hard rock and symphonic elements intriguing. The note of longing in the woman's voice gave the piece an overall wishful feeling.

He glanced over at his brother at the beginning of the second chorus and was surprised to see that Inuyasha's eyes were fixed on the woman and his head was bobbing in a movement that, had it not been restrained, would most likely have turned into head banging.

Miroku had noticed it also; that irritating grin was now repressing laughter.

Inuyasha, for his part was oblivious to their amusement. The only thing he knew at this moment was an overwhelming and slightly baffling urge to protect this girl. From everything. It was beginning to drive him mad.

So to him it was a bit of a relief when the music abruptly dropped out after the third chorus, snapping him from his musings, and she sang softly.

"_Ever felt away with me?  
__Just once that all I need  
__Entwined in finding you one day"_

Kagome felt someone watching her. Truthfully she felt quite a few people watching her. She was on stage for chrissakes! It was expected.

But this was different. These eyes weren't ogling, they were simply observing. She glanced around under the cover of the hood.

The younger silver-haired one was watching, a strange expression on his face. It wasn't a perverted look; he simply looked as though he were either trying to sort out feelings or work out a complex mathematical formula. It was somewhat endearing.

She let the instruments begin to crescendo.

"_Ever felt away without me?  
__My love it lies so deep  
__Ever dream of me"_

Sesshomaru continued to watch his brother's reaction as the song continued, the woman's voice blending and battling with the instruments for supremacy. He guessed that Inuyasha was deep in thought and not aware of anything else. Why did he guess that? It was simple…

…His brother was softly harmonizing with the woman.

"_Ever felt away with me  
__Just once that all I need  
__Entwined in finding you one day"_

The instruments had come back full force, the strings adding to the mix. The rhythm had nearly doubled from that of the previous chorus. This was the climax of the song.

Miroku smiled quietly. He knew the length of her sets. She was about in the middle.

He knew already that Sess was hooked.

"_Ever felt away without me  
__My love it lies so deep  
__Ever dream of me"_

The song ended. There was more applause. Honestly, it was a cycle. Song, applause, speech, song, applause, speech. It was tedious, but it paid the bills. Kagome made a snap decision.

"Well," she smiled genuinely. "I'm in a rather good mood, and feeling a bit rebellious. So, I'll take a couple requests. What do you want to hear?"

There were various shouts from the crowd, the loudest being Sango's cry of "Slaying the Dreamer" and the purported lech's equal shout of "Bare Grace Misery".

Deciding to save the more fantastical for last, she went with Bare Grace Misery.

She snickered inwardly at the stunned blinks coming from the silver-haired brothers and rolled her eyes at the satisfied smirk from the 'lech'.

She admitted that the lyrics were a bit more…overt…than her normal fare, but still, it wasn't quite Nymphomaniac Fantasia. God help her if she ever decided to use that one.

When the song ended, she didn't wait for the applause. She launched directly into the heavy riff of Slaying the Dreamer. Sango wanted to hear it. It was fun to do. Her throat would hurt like hell later, but if Sango were sulking she'd be wary of pointed objects.

"Manager's orders," She offered in light-hearted apology.

It was more, well, metal than most of what she did and the lyrics were of the "I'm pissed off and you're gonna damn well listen" variety, but God were the looks on the audience's faces fun at the end.

"_I'm a priest for the poorest sacrifice  
__I'm but a raft in a sea of sorrow, sorrow and greed  
__You bathed in my wine  
__Drank from my cup, mocked my rhyme  
__Your slit tongues licked my aching wounds"_

Miroku blinked. That was unexpected. So, the waitress he'd admired had a bit of a violent side to her? He might need to be careful.

"_Put a stake through my heart!  
__And drag me into sunlight  
__So awake for your greed  
__As you're slaying the dreamer"_

Inuyasha turned slightly to face his brother, "If you don't get her, I will tell Pop you're engaged."

Sesshomaru's attention snapped to the hanyou. "Was that a threat?"

"Would you consider it one?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Good," immediately the woman had his undivided attention again. Sesshomaru shook his head.

He'd never be able to figure his brother out.

"_Blame me, it's me  
__Coward, a good-for-nothing scapegoat  
__Dumb kid, living a dream  
__Romantic only on paper"_

Oh, was the next bit ever going to be fun. Sango had specifically requested this one for one reason.

To watch the Lech's reaction.

'Wait,' her brow furrowed. 'When did he merit capitalization?'

She shook her head. He didn't. Simple as that. He was a lech. Not the Lech.

Sango's train of thought abruptly derailed when the song ended and the 'screamed/sung' tag began. 'Watch his reaction.'

During the time it took for the transition, Kagome was prepping her voice. Screaming was not her forte. Angry screaming less so…Sounding like a pissed off man…That went without saying.

The cue came, and she opened her mouth.

"_Wake up, mow the weed  
__You'd be nothing without me!  
__Take my life if you have the heart  
__Heart to die!"_

The voice ripped from her throat was not the sweet soprano they'd come to associate with her. It was harsh. Masculine. Anyone who could see the power being put into the entire show would have seen the spike at that point.

Sesshomaru nearly smiled in respect. She'd altered her voice, only for that section, but the effect was amazing.

"_You bastards tainted my tool  
__Raped my words, played me fool!  
__Gather your precious glitter and leave me be!  
__The Great Ones are all dead  
__And I'm tired too  
__I truly hate you all!"_

There was a female shriek behind the last five words that was definitely unaltered. When it had faded, the woman smiled slightly.

"Thank you, all," she murmured. "I'll see you again, later."

She made a slight gesture to someone offstage and the stage lights went out. When they came back up she was gone.

"That's interesting," Miroku muttered.

"What is?" Sesshomaru glanced at the lavender-eyed man, slightly puzzled.

"Nothing," he answered hurriedly. "She just left off the 'signature song.'"

When no further explanation was forthcoming, Sesshomaru decided to leave it be.

* * *

Kagome snatched the ice cold water bottle from Sango's hand. "I am sooo going to get you for that." 

Sango blinked innocently, "For what?"

"You know damn well what," Kagome snapped playfully, fighting to pull the robe over her head without losing her grip on her prize. "My throat is going to be sore for hours now."

"But it was worth it, though, wasn't it?"

"Definitely worth it. Um…A little help here?" She had succeeded in pulling it over her head, but was now stuck in the awkward position of having it halfway draped over her with her arms still in the sleeves.

Sango allowed herself to snicker for a few moments before going to help her friend.

Five minutes later, Kagome was in the doorway, glaring at the robe, and ready to get back to waitress duty.

"Have fun," Sango smiled brightly.

"Will try," Kagome gave her a mock salute.

Once out the door, she made a beeline for table twelve.

"How are we doing over here?" she queried when she arrived. "Needing any refills or anything?"

"Food would be good," the younger silver-haired one said distantly.

She waited a few moments before saying amiably, "You want something specific? Or should I bring out the whole menu?"

He blinked, then looked at her, brow knitted in thought. "Fries?" he said finally.

"Oh no," the black haired one grinned.

Kagome turned to him, obviously not in on the joke. He smiled gently and then whispered, "If he's distracted enough not to ask for Ramen, the world is doomed."

She bit back a giggle. "I'll be back in a moment."

* * *

"-Gome?" Naraku blinked and looked for the source of the voice. 

Coming out of one of the back rooms was a small auburn haired kitsune kit, looking like he just woke up.

"Kagome?" he asked again.

Naraku knelt down eye-level with the youngster. "Hey Squirt, you looking for Kagome?"

"My name's Shippo. Not 'Squirt,'" he insisted. "And why do you care if I'm looking for Kagome?"

"Sorry, Shippo," he ruffled the kit's hair, smiling when he responded with a grin and a half-hearted glare. "And I think I know where Kagome is. Do you want me to take you to her?"

"Could you?" unashamed hope filled Shippo's bright green eyes.

"Sure, c'mon," he waited for the tyke to find a perch on his shoulder before meandering off toward where he'd last seen Kagome.

She was just setting down an order of fries and, surprisingly, Ramen at table twelve when Shippo, for lack of a better word, glomped her.

"Kagome!" he squealed, latching onto her midsection.

She wrapped an arm around the kit before turning a questioning glance toward where he'd come from. Naraku's back was already disappearing.

"I swear," she muttered. "One of these days I'm gonna put a bell on that guy."

The two inus at the table had winced slightly when Shippo had squealed but the younger had been quickly placated by the presence of food. The elder was looking at her with this annoying little amused half-smirk on his face.

"Sorry about that," she whispered an apology.

"It's no problem," the human answered. "Kids will be kids."

She smiled thankfully to him and walked back towards the room where Shippo had been napping.

"Well, Inuyasha," Miroku smiled widely. "Looks like your chances with her have dropped. She's a single mom."

Not for the first time, Inuyasha spoke without thinking, "Kid called her Kagome, not 'Mom'. Chances haven't changed."

Even Sesshomaru allowed himself a rather undignified snort of laughter.

* * *

Kagome sat down on the pallet where Shippo had taken a nap. The kit still had a death grip on her midsection with his head resting on her chest. He was sniffling every once in a while and she was starting to feel a slight dampness through her shirt. Content to hold him while he cried, she rubbed his back gently and murmured soothing words into his hair. 

When he had quieted, she gently pried him away from her in order to be able to look him in the eye. She wiped the tearstains off his face and wiped his nose, then let him rest his head on her chest again.

They sat in silence for a while before she said quietly, "You know that I won't let you be alone like that again."

"I know."

She hugged him to her, smiling slightly, "Do you want to stay in here, or come with me?"

"Could I go with you?" Shippo turned his infamous pout on her.

"Alright," she smiled at him. "As long as you behave."

Shippo hugged her tightly, "I promise."

Kagome knew better than to pretend he hadn't crossed his fingers behind her back.

* * *

Back at table twelve, Miroku was trying to explain his disappointment at the lack of performance of this so-called 'signature'. He was having little success. 

"And it has this one guy that recites something from Lord of the Rings!" He added, hoping that they would see the importance.

"Ah," Sesshomaru began. "That, of course, is the reason."

"Guess ya finally found someone who might be a bigger geek than you," Inuyasha sneered playfully.

"He needs the confirmation that he is not alone."

"Definitely."

"Guys," Miroku almost whined. "It's a song! With Lord of the Rings! Don't you get that?"

"Discussing the 'signature' are we?" Kagome had returned, kit in tow. "Oh, and for future reference, it's called 'Elvenpath.' She won't do the spoken word because she thinks her accent screws it up."

"Her accent is ambrosia," Miroku smiled sweetly.

"I'll tell her you said that," the waitress raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You guys needing anything?" she looked around the table. The elder silverhair was feigning disinterest in the petty affairs of the 'mere mortals', the human was starting to live up to his reputation as a lech, his eyes kept drifting down lower than her neck, and the younger silverhair was staring at her shoulder. Or, perhaps more appropriately, at something on her shoulder.

"Shippo," she muttered neutrally.

"But I didn't do anything!" the kit protested, quickly returning his face to his normal, seemingly innocent one from the mocking face he'd shown to the hanyou.

"Whoever said you did?" Kagome asked, amused.

"I believe that we are all doing fine, here," Miroku smiled disarmingly. "By the way, Miss…." He trailed off, not noticing the somewhat amused expression on her face, complete with arched eyebrow.

"Ka- go- me," she reminded him slowly, as though he were a child.

"Yes, of course, Kagome," Miroku continued smiling.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. When the waitress looked curiously at him, he mouthed, 'Just slap him now.'

She smirked slightly and shook her head.

"-Me the honor of bearing my child?" Miroku's voice broke through the silent conversation.

Kagome blinked. That was unexpected. The younger silver hair had an 'I told you so' expression on his face.

Kagome smiled saccharinely at the dark haired man, "But sir, I don't even know your name." She added a flirtatious giggle for effect.

Inuyasha's jaw dropped. Was she actually considering saying yes? Was she insane?

"I'm sorry milady, that had slipped my mind," Miroku looked gleeful. "I am Miroku."

"Ah," she sighed, dramatically. "Miroku."

The kit on her shoulder looked thoroughly disgusted. Inuyasha was inclined to agree.

"Dear, Miroku," her smile turned quite evil, she spoke sweetly nonetheless. "If you had not been staring at a certain part of my anatomy that is located below and in front of my ears, I would have thought that you were trying reassure your friends of your lack of homosexuality. As it were, I'm inclined to allow Sango to pound you into the ground. She's had a trying day and is in desperate need of a punching bag. I'll check back on you three later," she flounced off.

The kit on her shoulder asked bluntly, "What was he staring at, and why should Sango hit him?"

The waitress responded, "I'll tell you when you're older."

Inuyashe let out a low whistle. "Ouch."

Miroku didn't seem phased, "I love women with spirit."

"I'd leave that one alone Miroku," Inuyasha warned.

Sesshomaru hid a smirk at his brother's sudden and unexpected protective streak.

"I believe I will give up chase on fair lady Kagome," Inuyasha cringed. His friend sounded like a chick-flick. A bad one. "For I have already found the perfect woman for me."

"You were going after Kagome," Inuyasha was trying to understand Miroku's reasoning, "when you've already found another girl?"

"Kagome is a lovely sight," Miroku admitted. "But I have found one lovelier still."

Inuyasha, not amused, drawled, "Alright, Casanova, what's her name?"

"Her name is Sango," Miroku sighed, the quintessential image of a love-struck hero.

Inuyasha snorted with laughter. Sesshomaru tried to disguise a chuckle by taking a drink. Miroku was completely oblivious.

* * *

Meanwhile, said 'perfect woman' was watching curiously as her friend walked towards her, a forced smile on her face. 

"You win," Kagome spoke through gritted teeth. "He's a lech."

Sango smiled brightly and held her hand out. Kagome looked down at the and, then back up at Sango's face before rolling her eyes and fishing out a twenty.

"Fine. Here," she thrust the bill into Sango's hand.

"Thank you for your business," Sango smirked and put the money away.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kagome made a shooing gesture. "Just go stash it before I decide to take it back."

_Oh, my god...Are the brothers actually gasp getting along! Miroku going more than five pages without being perverted! Sango going a whole chapter without having to hit the lech! Naraku, Kikyo and Kagome getting along! What is the world coming to!  
__Over dramatic questions aside: I would really love some help on characterization...This is the first story I'm posting for this show and I'd like to know if I completely screwed up their personalities._


	3. Chapter Two

_Note: Ummmm...Yeah, this only took me a friggin week to write. I kinda like the way Kouga, Kagura, and Kagome's dad turned out. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own: Inuyasha and its characters,'Collide' by Howie Day, 'Favorite Color' by One Less Reason, 'The Water is Wide' by whoever, 'The Laughing Song' aka 'Mein Herr Marquis' from the Opera/operetta 'Die Fledermaus' written by Carl Haffner and Richard Genee, with music by Johann Strauss, 'Habanera' fromthe Libretto 'Carmen' by Georges Bizet, or 'Ghost Love Score' by Nightwish...I also don't own Kag's father...He's based off my dad...Yes, my father is like that. Kinda. Anyway, on with the story!_

* * *

Kagome unlocked the front door, and, peering around the frame, asked, "Dad? You up?" 

"I'm in here," her father's voice called from the living room. "You're home late."

"I had to close today," she answered, walking into the room, trying not to jostle Shippo.

Her father smiled gently, his dark brown hair falling into his blue-gray eyes. "Here," he opened his arms, "I'll put him to bed. You go sleep."

She handed Shippo over, "As much as I'd love to just fall into bed and not get up, I have that Voice challenge tomorrow, and I have to show some progress on that Music Comp final," she paused. "And I'd die for a shower."

Tony Vuorinen chuckled. "I don't think you'll have to do anything that drastic. Go get your shower, I'll put him to bed, then make some tea."

Kagome smiled gratefully, kissed her father's cheek and said "Kiitos, Papa."

Her father rolled his eyes slightly, "Douitashimashite, daughter."

"Your accent is horrible," Kagome laughed.

Her father playfully stuck his tongue out at her. "Go get your damn shower. Before I decide to do the wash."

Laughing, Kagome ran to go get that shower she'd been wanting.

Twenty minutes later, feeling very refreshed, Kagome emerged from the steaming bathroom. The scent of Jasmine floated out after her.

"What were you singing?" her father asked, a pot of Oolong tea resting on a thick square of cloth in front of him. He poured her a cup and then replaced the pot on the table.

"When?" she sipped the tea and smiled.

"Just now," he idly traced a path on the table. "I know the first song was 'The Laughing Song'. I want to know what you were singing after that. By the way, you went slightly flat at the end of the second verse in the Laughing Song."

"Thanks, Dad," she said wryly. "Anyway, that was what I've been working on for that final."

"Ah, what do you have for music so far?"

"That's just it. I know exactly how the tune will go for the first few stanzas. I know where to incorporate the chorus. I don't know how to work that infernal orchestra in."

"What have you tried so far?"

She ticked off on her fingers, "I've tried opening with strings, opening with woodwinds, opening with the chorus, opening with the guitar, opening with the keys; nothing sounds right."

"Drums."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at her father, "And why should I do that?"

"Establish a rhythm. Then build from there," he shrugged. "Maybe stick the chorus in there at the outset.

She nodded, "Slow crescendo on the strings, throw the horns in after a few measures."

He smiled, "Then the strings take melody, then add in your guitar."

"Harsh, or melodic?"

"Eh," he tilted his head, "Harsh."

"Offset the orchestra."

"She gets it."

Kagome smiled, taking another sip of tea.

"What lyrics do you have so far?"

She looked at him, "They're stupid."

"Now I'm intrigued," he gave her a smirk.

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"Scout's honor."

She gave him a deadpan look, "You were never a boy scout."

"Quit stalling."

Kagome pouted, then cleared her throat. In a clear, low soprano she sang, "We used to swim/ The same moonlight waters/ Oceans away/ From the wakeful day," she stopped abruptly. Biting her lip, she bounced slightly in her seat.

"That's all?" Tony gave his daughter an indulgent smile.

"No," she continued chewing on her lip.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know how to do the chorus," she looked him in the eyes, tears of frustration about to spill over.

"Well," he smiled genuinely. "Let me help you."

"Alright," she wiped her eyes. "I kinda wanted to have the chorus chant/sing a few lines and then sing over them."

"Gethsemane," he nodded, naming where she'd used that tactic before.

"Yeah," she nodded, smiling again.

"So, what'll the chorus be doing?" he prodded gently when she said nothing further.

"Huh?" she blinked. "Oh. Promise me you won't freak out or send me to a shrink for this?"

"I promise."

She nodded again, then sung quietly in a measured tempo, "My fall will be for you/ My love will be in you/ If you be the one to/ Cut me I'll bleed forever," she repeated the phrases again in the same tempo, taking the last line up a few notes.

He looked at his daughter silently. She avoided his eyes. Sighing, he asked, "What'll you be singing over it?"

"My fall will be for you," she quoted.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Care to sing that?"

"Well, I have to time it with the chorus."

"Let me take the chorus bit, you sing the line."

"No offense, Dad," she smiled apologetically. "But you really-"

"Can't sing," he grinned. "I know that. I'll just chant it."

"Alright."

He chanted the lines dutifully, his daughter singing over him. She drew the vowels out, showing off a bit, at times harmonizing and at times leading him. Overall the sound was pleasing.

When the chorus had been heard, Kagome informed him, "Then I've got another verse, then the chorus again, and after that I'm lost."

He grinned childishly, "Lyrics go bye-bye?"

"Sadly, that's exactly what happened."

"You want me to help you work out that intro?"

"Nah," she smiled, then took another sip of her cooling tea. "I think I can figure it out."

"Alright," he stood, kissed his daughter's forehead, then headed off to bed. "Don't stay up too much later, it's already almost three."

"Ok," she smiled brightly at him. "Good night, Daddy."

"Night, Satakieli," he returned, using his nickname for her.

"Oh, before I forget," he turned around to hear what she had to say. "I was gonna go visit Mama tomorrow, so I'll just be dropping Shippo off before I head out."

He nodded and continued to bed.

* * *

Kagome scrambled up the stairs to her Voice class. It wasn't that she hated the class; she just really was not looking forward to it today. She normally didn't have any problems with the 'challenges', then again, she normally didn't have 'The Laughing Song' aria from "Die Fledermaus". 

She wasn't sure, but she thought that meant 'The Flying Mouse'…Crazy Germans…

Rushing into the room ten seconds before the class began was probably not the best way to start off the day, but oh well. Kagome sat down in one of the empty chairs, waiting for her time.

Monique sat down next to her. "Habañera. You?"

"The Laughing Song," Kagome wrinkled her nose.

"'What a funny, ha ha ha," Monique began.

"Situation, ha ha ha," Kagome smiled, continuing the game.

"What a startling, ha ha ha," Monique narrowed her eyes in playful competition.

"Revelation, ha ha ha ha ha ha," Kagome sang the laugh, hitting the notes perfectly, a slightly arrogant smirk on her face.

"Damn, you win," Monique responded with a laugh of her own. She flipped her newly-dyed blue hair out of her face, her green eyes glazed over with boredom. "What are you doing after this?"

"Music comp," Kagome again wrinkled her nose. "Then lunch, I'll probably just head over to the library, then practice, pick up Shippo, drop Shippo off at home, then I was gonna go visit Mom."

"Fun day," Monique grimaced.

"Higurashi!" The sharp voice rang through the room.

"Wish me luck," Kagome smiled nervously.

"You don't need luck," Monique smiled genuinely.

Kagome was about to thank her when she grinned devilishly, "You need a frickin' miracle."

Kagome resisted the urge to flick her off and merely walked to the door.

She entered a small room with the standard three judges. It wasn't Madame Cordon couldn't grade for herself, she was simply aware that she was biased towards some students and wanted to give everyone a fair chance.

"Kagome, dear," Madame Cordon smiled warmly at her. "Tell us the name of your piece and if you have a musical accompaniment, please."

Kagome half bowed. "The piece I will be singing is 'The Laughing Song' or 'Mein Herr Marquis' from Die Fledermaus. I have no accompaniment at this time."

She scanned the judges; one seemed entirely impartial, the second looked quite interested, whether in her or in the piece she wasn't sure, the third seemed determined to hate her.

Kagome closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking on the persona of the character at the same time. The character was amused, haughty, flirtatious. When Kagome opened her eyes her 'smart-assed' smirk was in place.

_My dear Marquis  
Why must you be  
So loathe to use your eyes_

She sang the first lines with strong vibrato, making it seem as though she was nearly giggling. Shaking her head softly, as though amused she continued,

_When you stop and stare  
__Take a lot more care  
__And closely scrutinize_

She continued, losing herself in the persona. Scolding the imaginary Marquis for being gullible, teasing him for loving a parlor maid, and generally pretending to be a haughty, egotistical bitch.

She had to admit it was fun.

When she came to the end, the part she dreaded, she went through the chorus, slowing towards the end of it, as though losing the humor. Then she began the vocalization, coyly at first, before closing her eyes, letting the practice she'd done take over. Her voice traveled in an almost chromatic scale down from the high before soaring back up. Finishing the song, she wiped all traces of the persona from her face and gave another bow.

Knowing that she was no longer needed, she walked back into the 'waiting room' to tell Monique 'bye' and to collect her things. She entered the room and wasn't two steps in before Monique had engulfed her in a huge hug.

"Not that I'm not happy that you're affectionate or anything," Kagome began. "But why are you hugging me?"

"Kouga just called your cell," Monique explained hurriedly. "He said that he'd heard from someone that there was some guy who seemed really interested in you and that he wanted to meet him, make sure he passed the test. I'm so HAPPY that you found someone!"

Kagome blinked, then blinked again. "You answered my cell?"

"Yep," the green-eyed girl grinned brightly. "Kouga also said he's gonna meet you for lunch today."

"Joy."

Monique swatted her on the arm. "Well, get your things, maybe you can head down to the library now, meet Kouga for lunch later instead of being a bookworm."

Before Kagome could respond, Monique's name was called and she was out the door. Shaking her head, Kagome grabbed her stuff and headed for the library.

Entering the double doors, Kagome inhaled. Musty, paper-scented air filled her senses. Complete silence reached her ears. She grinned stupidly and walked back to her normal reading area, aka the very back of the library.

She set her things down and headed for a random aisle. Her brows knitted in confusion when she saw a very familiar head of silver hair. A head of silver hair that she'd never seen on the campus before.

"Fancy meeting you here," alright, so maybe the haughty bitch persona from earlier hadn't been erased completely.

"Whaddaya want, wench?" the reply came instantly.

"I was merely wondering if I should notify security," she smiled sweetly.

He turned to her and raised an eyebrow, "What? 'Fraid I might bite?"

"Hardly," she deadpanned. "You'd probably heel after a good flick on the nose."

"Wouldn't bet on it, bitch," he turned back to the shelf.

"Do you call anyone anything that _isn't_ an insult?"

"Only when I'm drunk, babe."

"What the hell are you doing here anyway?" her eyes were dangerous slits.

"You ever heard of the Dewey Decimal System?" he flashed his own somewhat-more-smartass-than-Kagome's-smartass-smirk smirk.

Kagome's nostrils flared indignantly. "As a matter of fact, yes. I have."

"Oh, good," Kagome tried to restrain the urge to knock that smirk off his face. "I'd hate to have to explain it to you. Well, I happen to be using it to find a book. Anymore questions, Ka-go-me?" he infused her name with as much mocking as was possible.

"Ass."

"Bitch."

"Moron."

"Wench."

Inuyasha grinned, it wasn't often he got to bicker with someone. The raven-haired girl across from him muttered something in what sounded like an East European language. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

Kagome snarled the word again.

"You are aware that you look like a rodent when you do that," he casually brushed past her on his way out, "right?"

"You wait just one minute!" Kagome hissed.

Inuyasha stopped dead, ears flat against his head. What choice did he have? She'd used the 'Mom' voice. "You called?"

"Why are you on the campus anyway?" there was no hostility in her voice now, just curiosity.

"One of the perks of subbing at that high school across the way is unlimited access to the University," he smiled at her.

"What are you subbing in?"

"Ever heard about curiosity and the cat?"

"Yeah," she grinned. "I enjoy tempting fate. What are you subbing in?"

"Their guitar instructor is out for a while. I'm taking over until he gets back."

"Electric or acoustic?"

"Prefer electric, but I'll play either."

"What model?"

"That, my dear, is for me to know, and you to wonder about."

She pursed her lips; Inuyasha inwardly cringed. Her next question might be something to worry about. She suddenly smiled brightly.

"Boxers or briefs?"

Kagome struggled not to laugh at the dumbstruck look on the hanyou's face. Apparently he wasn't used to being asked that point blank. Then again, what man was? "Poor thing, he's stunned."

He quirked an eyebrow, then smirked yet again, "Thong or granny panties?"

Kagome's jaw dropped and she stood motionless for a moment. Then she spoke, "P-Point taken."

He grinned then, one ear cocked to listen to her reply, "What're you doing for lunch?"

"Supposedly meeting a friend," she gave him a quizzical look. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Don't feel like hanging around the pervert and the Ice King."

She snorted. "University cafeteria, two hours?"

"Fine with me."

* * *

Kagome spotted him instantly when she entered the cafeteria. He was leaning against the wall, one foot propped on it, with a 'devil may care' expression. She tried not to snicker at him. 

His right ear was flicking like mad. 'Must be the noise.'

She whistled to him and he turned a glare on her. Smiling unapologetically, she gestured him over. He made a great show of rolling his eyes and sighing deeply before swaggering over.

"They're annoying, aren't they?" she gestured to the crowd as a whole.

"As fuck," he agreed.

"You must be going crazy in here," she smiled sympathetically.

"Who says I'm not already nuts?" he grinned wickedly.

She shook her head. "Patio?"

"Please?" he looked as though it pained him to say it.

She jerked her head towards the door, walking outside. He followed.

No sooner did Kagome feel the sun on her face when her ears were assaulted by several shouts.

"Kagome!" Kouga greeted.

"Kags!" Ayame, Kouga's sister shrieked.

"Kago-no-nee-chan!" Ginta and Hakakku chorused.

"Kouga," she addressed the wolf youkai when she reached where he was. "You said you were coming. You didn't mention the whole gang."

"They begged," he smiled, enveloping her in a friendly hug.

"This your 'friend'?" Inuyasha's amused voice reached her ears.

Kouga stiffened. He pulled back from the hug. Walking past Kagome, he eyed Inuyasha, who glared right back.

"Dog shit," Kouga addressed.

"Wolf breath," Inuyasha returned.

Kagome slapped her forehead. "Kouga," she placated.

Kouga ignored her. "What are your intentions?" he asked Inuyasha.

"Eating lunch is pretty damn high on the list."

"I meant with Kagome," Kouga growled.

"Intentions?" Inuyasha laughed. "With that little wench!"

Kagome saw Kouga's hand twitch and quickly tried to step between the two. Unfortunately, the punch flew before she could open her mouth. Sighing deeply, she knocked the wolf prince's hand away with a sharply raised forearm.

Kouga's shocked expression faded into a smirk. He aimed a kick at her side, ignoring Inuyasha's growl of warning.

Kagome arched a brow when his expression changed. She saw the blow coming and dropped into a crouch, kicking a leg out to sweep his feet out from under him.

It worked and Kouga fell back, stopping his fall by reaching his arms back. He smiled appreciatively, "Sango, eh?"

Kagome smiled back, holding a hand out to help him up. He ignored it, of course. "Yeah, Sango."

Inuyasha blinked several times. They were acting as if they did this everyday. For all he knew, they probably did. 'Memo to self: Never piss them off.'

He was about to question the two on it when another voice rang out, "You hooker!"

Kagome turned with a bright smile on her face; Kouga was back on the ground, rolling with laughter.

Inuyasha was positive that someone in this group was very insane. Shrugging, he pulled his lunch out from his bag

"Kagura!" Kagome ran to hug a tall young woman. The woman was decidedly a youkai, her crimson eyes shining with mirth, hair pulled back elegantly to reveal pointed ears.

"You hooker," she repeated. "You haven't called me in ages!"

"I know," Kagome smiled. "I'm sorry."

Kagura returned the smile. Then she glared at Kouga. "And just what is so funny?"

Kouga continued to laugh unashamedly. "Hi-his face!"

Kagura, having no idea who the wolf youkai was referring to, furrowed her brow. Kagome, on the other hand, looked to where Inuyasha was calmly eating his lunch.

"Really not seeing the funny," she said bemusedly.

Kouga stood up again, glaring at the hanyou, who looked quite nonchalant. "You would have laughed too if you'd seen it."

"I'm sure," Kagome smiled indulgently.

"Spook him again!" Kouga cried. "You'll see! It's hysterical."

"I'd really rather not," Kagome said simply.

Kagura, again smiling, glanced from Kagome to the silver-haired hanyou, "New boy-toy, Kags?"

The gaping Kagome had to admit that Inuyasha's shocked face was humorous.

_

* * *

You finally find  
__You and I collide  
__You finally find  
__You and I collide_

"_That was 'Collide' from Howie Day," _the DJ had a deep baritone and seemed somewhat relieved that the song was ending.

"_Now, as per special request, here's One Less Reason with 'Favorite Color. Pick up their CD on the 27th. You won't 'be disappointed',"_ the opening notes to the song sounded as he spoke again. _"Kags, this one's yours."_

_If I said the wrong thing would you leave me?  
__Though my fingers may break,  
__I just can't let you go.  
__Don't know why I believed you.  
__Not with that promise you made me just yesterday._

"Kagomeeeee," Shippo whined. "Why are we listening to this again?"

"You don't recognize the DJ?" Kagome said, turning the radio up a bit.

"No," the 'Why should I?' went unspoken.

Kagome glanced sidelong at him before returning her eyes to the road, "That's Naraku, Shippo."

"No wonder he sounded creepy."

Kagome bit back a laugh. "We're home, sweetie. Go tell 'grampa' that I'll be back later."

"Ok," Shippo bounded out of the 1981 Datsun.

Kagome cringed when he slammed the door. There was only so much more abuse this car could take.

* * *

"Oh, thank God!" an orderly began to push Kagome toward room 283. "She's getting out of hand. You have to calm her down!" 

Even down the hall, the shouts of "Where is my son!" and "Bring me my baby!" could be heard clearly. Kagome continued to walk towards the room, trying to project an aura of calm. She reached door 283 and, unheeding of the chaos within, opened the door and walked inside.

Immediately a wild-eyed, black-haired woman latched on to her. "Please," she sobbed. "Please tell me where my son is. I just want to know that he's alright. Please."

Kagome smiled reassuringly, "I'm sure he's fine. He's probably at home and safe," she tried to swallow around the lump in her throat. "I'm sure he's fine," she reiterated.

"You're sure?" the pitiful pleading in the woman's voice threatened to bring tears to Kagome's eyes.

"I'm positive," she hugged the woman to her, moving to sit on the small, cot-like bed in the corner of the room. Sitting, she rocked the woman back and forth, as a mother would rock a child to sleep after a nightmare.

"Could you sing that song for me?" the woman queried tremulously. "It's so pretty. Could I hear it again?"

Kagome stroked the woman's hair and began crooning. The song was old, written during a bygone war. It was one that Kagome's mother had sung to her, once, in a long forgotten time.

_The water is wide  
__I cannot get o'er  
__And neither have  
__I wings to fly  
__Give me a boat  
__That will carry two  
__And both shall row  
__My love and I_

She felt the woman's breathing even out and continued to sing until she knew the troubled soul was asleep.

Laying the woman out gently on the bed, Kagome rose and thenwalked to the door. Turning out the light, she whispered, "Goodnight, Mama."

* * *

_Yeah...No one kill me, I'll explain about her dad's last name and her mom later on. And for the record, I'm perfectly aware that 'Die Fledermaus' does not mean 'The Flying Mouse'. I know that it means 'The Bat', I just found the 'Crazy Germans' line amusing...No one tell Meryn..._


	4. Chapter Three

_**A/N: Alrighty, this chap pissed me off...First the dream sequence, which ya might wanna skip if you squick easily, then the obligatory 'it's my fault' scene, then the drunk scene...And then the rather amusing, to me at least, 'OMG she's bruised!She must be abused!' scene. But to make up for it, both the dad's are here.**_

_**Warnings: Kinda squicky/gory dream sequence.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Toyota, Chevrolet, 'Kuolema Tekke Taiteilijan', 'Angels Fall First', Hector Elizondo, Superman, the phrase 'mind in the gutter', Child Protective Services, or anything in anyway related to Inuyasha besides the first volume of the manga and a DVD copy of the first movie...**_

_

* * *

_

An awful screeching noise broke though the quiet evening, followed by the sickening crunch of fiberglass crumpling. Kagome ran towards the source of the noise, never having been one to idly sit by.

_All too soon, she saw the accident. A light gold Toyota Camry had been in the wrong lane, collided head on with a dual-toned blue Chevy truck. Ominous black smoke issued forth from under the Camry's hood. _

_Fear gripping her, Kagome forced herself to run faster. _

_Terrified by what she might find in the surely totaled Toyota, Kagome moved to the Chevy. The driver was conscious, clutching his right arm. It was a double fracture; the bone protruding through the skin near the wrist. Trying to control the tremor in her voice, she informed him that she was there to help and asked if he thought he could walk._

"_My legs are fine, I think," came the reply through clenched teeth. "It's the fucking wrist that hurts."_

_She helped him out of the truck and over to the side of the road. A small crowd was gathering, as though vultures drawn to a dying animal. _

"_Does anyone have a cell phone?" Kagome screamed over the din. One woman nodded, dumbstruck. "Call 911. Tell them there's an accident off Rosewood and Mulberry. That one driver has a compound fracture. Do not hang up until one of us says to. Do you understand me?"_

_The woman nodded. She dialed the emergency number and spoke in a shaking voice to the operator, relaying the information._

_Kagome steeled herself and moved to the passenger side door of the Camry. She looked in the window, and then turned away quickly, retching. _

_Souta, her younger brother, was leaned forward, his head hanging down at an impossible angle, neck snapped. _

_Trying desperately not to collapse, she opened the door, reached around her brother to undo his seatbelt, and pulled the body out of the car, making a futile effort to support his head as she laid him on his back next to the ruined sedan._

_She then crossed to the driver's side. Her mother was also pitched forward, head against the steering wheel. For a moment, Kagome thought her dead as well. Noticing the woman's chest rise and fall, Kagome fought back her hysteria._

"_I need help over here!" she screamed, already trying to pull her mother out. Frantically trying to get her away from the cars, should they explode. "Anyone!"_

_No one moved to help her._

"_Please!" she sobbed, hauling her unconscious mother to the side of the road._

_Still no one. _

_Forcing herself to keep moving, Kagome eyed the curb determinedly. The explosion behind her sounded like a bomb. _

_Most of the debris flew upwards, remains of the wrecked hoods, however a small amount of metal and glass flew out to the sides. Kagome felt it cutting her back, embedding itself under the skin as she shielded her mother beneath her._

_Kagome felt the blackness engulf her…_

With a choked cry, Kagome sat bolt upright in her bed. Reacting as any frightened child would, she queried tremulously, "Mommy?" Receiving no answer, she tried again. "Daddy?"

Still unanswered and feeling very alone and small, Kagome pulled her knees up to her chest and sobbed. Great, heaving, painful sobs tore from her chest and wracked her body. She rocked herself back and forth in a vain effort to gain comfort.

Suddenly she felt the ghost of a hand on her back before she was pulled into strong, worried arms.

"It's alright, love, I'm here," a soothing voice murmured. "I'm here."

"It's all my fault," she sobbed brokenly. "All of it."

Tony Vuorinen's eyes filled with tears as he held his daughter to him, trying to calm her, to comfort her. Knowing exactly what she was talking about, he spoke softly, "It wasn't anyone's fault, least of all yours."

"But- but," she struggled to push her next statement past her lips. "If I'd- If I'd stayed home, they wouldn't have come to pick me up."

"Love," Tony soothed, trying to get his daughter to comprehend her own complete lack of guilt. "If I hadn't fought with your mother, they wouldn't have left. You are not to blame here."

Somewhere in Kagome's mind she knew that her father was right, however the greater part of her insisted that it was her fault. "But, if I'd been there, I could have, could have-"

"Grampa?" a small voice queried from the door. "Why's Momma crying?"

Knowing that Shippo never called her Momma unless he was distressed, Kagome sobbed all the harder.

"She had a bad dream Shippo," Tony explained to the kitsune as he climbed onto the bed, moving to hug his adopted family.

"Was it 'that dream' again?" Shippo asked, afraid for his 'Momma'.

"Yes, it was," the older man answered, even though his daughter's shattered whimpering of 'Okaa, Nii-chan' indicated the truth better than any response of his ever could.

The small family stayed, holding each other, each seeking comfort, until the two younger slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

With Kagome and Shippo sleeping soundly again, Tony left his daughter's room. Walking back to his room, he paused in the doorway that led to the living room and the kitchen.

Sighing deeply, he moved through the doorway. He walked to the bookshelf in the corner of the living room, pulled down two old photo albums and set them on the coffee table. Then he trudged to the kitchen. Opening the pantry, he searched for, found, and pulled out a single bottle of vodka. Debating whether to bother with a glass, he finally made his way to the sofa.

As he turned the pages of the first album, he swallowed the liquor sullenly.

'I'm sorry, Satakieli,' he apologized silently. 'I know that I promised. Please forgive me.'

* * *

Kagome bit back tears as she caught sight of her father's drunken figure sprawled on the couch, an empty liquor bottle on the floor, picture albums on the coffee table. She didn't have to read the label on the bottle to know that it had once contained vodka.

Kagome walked towards him, furious with him for breaking his promise, intent on waking him. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the elegantly scripted note next to the photo albums. She picked the small slip of paper up, reading it carefully.

It was a poem:

'_Kerran vain haaveeni nähdä sain,  
__En pienuutta alla tähtien tuntenut  
__Kerran sain ketooni kalterit  
__Vankina sieltä kirjettä kirjoitan  
__Luojani, luoksesi anna minun tulla siksi miksi lapseni minua luulee.'_

She translated it in her mind. Her father had written:

'_Only once I could see my dream  
__Didn't feel the smallness under the stars  
__Once I got bars in my cradle  
__As a prisoner I write a letter from there  
__My creator, to you, let me become what my child thinks I am.'_

Allowing tears to push past her lashes, she turned to Shippo and sighed, "Call me when he wakes up, alright."

Shippo nodded. As she walked out the door, Kagome heard him say, "Bye."

Mentally kicking herself for forgetting, she walked back to him, picked him up, hugged him close, and said, "I'll see you soon, Sweetie."

"Bye, Kagome," the kit eagerly returned the hug.

* * *

Kagome's phone went off twenty minutes into Voice. Fortunately, it was simply a practice day.

Excusing herself, she left for home. Having a good idea of what she would find, she hurried, almost breaking the speed limit.

She pulled in the drive and scrambled from the car, leaving it running and the door open. She threw the door to the house open.

Just inside the door, her father was having quite a time demolishing the kitchen. She moved to the doorway, "Daddy?"

He whirled around, staggering, "And you!" he slurred. "I hope you're happy!"

"Daddy," she moved towards him, hands out. "You're still drunk, Daddy. If you'll lie down and let me make you some coffee-"

"No!" he screamed. "I know all about you 'Higurashi's!" he snarled the name as though it were a vile curse. "Your 'voodoo' Japanese witchcraft! I want no part of it!"

Swallowing hard, Kagome continued to step forward. "Daddy, please. Please, calm down."

"I will not calm down!" as if to solidify that statement he threw a glass to the floor, where it shattered. As though noticing her proximity for the first time, he threw an arm out at her, shouting, "Stay away from me, witch!"

The blow caught Kagome near the left eyebrow and she fell. Raising a tentative hand to her brow, she winced.

Feeling his hand connect with flesh and bone caused Tony to snap out of his drunken rage. "Oh god," he murmured. "What have I done?"

* * *

Tucking her hair behind her ear timidly, Kagome continued to the studio.

With her father safely on his way to sobriety and Shippo over at Sango's for the time being, Kagome had been desperate to get out of the house. She'd snatched the case that held her weather-beaten acoustic and had headed out. Knowing that she had an open invitation to Mr. Elizondo's guitar studio at the high school, that was the first place she thought of heading.

Reaching the end of the stairs, she adjusted the guitar case's strap over her shoulder. The studio took up almost the entire third floor, it had several out of the way booths for private practice, four amps set up for those working with electric guitars, and plenty of barstool-type seats for everyone. She reached the main door and knocked quietly, normally she would have simply opened the door and waltzed in but she didn't feel up to that at the moment.

The door opened and she raised her eyes to look at a person who, for all intents and purposes, should have been Mr. Elizondo. However, in the seven years she'd known him, she'd never seen him with golden eyes, or long silver hair for that matter.

"I'm sorry," she muttered and began to turn away. "I'll just go."

"Damn," Inuyasha said, bemused. "What's gotten into you? If you wanna come in, c'mon. I sure as hell ain't gonna kick you out. They're just screwin' around anyways."

Swallowing, flashing him a brief, grateful smile, she entered the studio.

"Hey, Kagome," a brown-haired boy waved.

"Hi, Mike," she returned, head bowed slightly.

"Kags," she waved in response to Lou's greeting.

"Kagmeister!" a mock-stoner shouted.

"Hey," was her only response.

"You alright?" Laura, a slim Hispanic girl, asked.

"Yeah," Kagome forced a smile. "'Everywhere' again?

"Yep," Laura snorted in frustration. "Chorus doesn't sound right still."

"Hmm," Kagome closed her eyes, thoughtful. "Try the harmonics instead of the same notes you're singing."

Laura motioned for her to take the seat next to her, which Kagome did. Taking her own acoustic out, she began to tune it.

"Can't believe you still won't use the equipment," Laura remarked, shaking her head.

"Too much of a fuss," Kagome returned, ears intent on her guitar, watching Inuyasha work with another student who'd asked for help. "He hasn't been an ass to you guys, right?"

"Who? The sub?" Laura shook her head. "Nope. He works more with the electric bunch than with us acoustics, though."

Kagome nodded, idly fingering a simple, almost Spanish style melody. "He mentioned that he preferred the electric."

Laura recognized the tune Kagome had taught her a while back and began to play second guitar, more intent on keeping the rhythm than the small flourishes Kagome herself was performing. The girls continued fingering the melody, neither bothering to use a pick.

Temporarily unneeded, Inuyasha watched the two. They were paying absolutely no attention to anything other than the guitars. He was just about to ask if they were going to play the same damn bars over and over when Kagome began to sing.

_An angelface smiles to me  
__Under a headline of tragedy  
__That smile used to give me warmth  
__Farewell, no words to say  
__Beside the cross on your grave  
__And those forever burning candles_

The soft soprano was slightly familiar. Inuyasha leaned against a nearby wall, noticing idly that all other playing had stopped.

She vocalized quietly for a moment before continuing, a sad smile on her face. The guitar accompaniment did not change.

_Needed elsewhere  
__To remind us of the shortness of our time_

She held the vowel while Laura sang under her.

_Tears laid for them_

Kagome regained the lead.

_Tears of love  
__Tears of fear  
__Bury my dreams  
__Dig up my sorrows  
__Oh, Lord, why_

Kagome's eyes were shut when she sang, seeming to pull the words from thin air. Inuyasha was reminded of a musical. On the next line, Kagome went up, almost an octave, from where she had been singing, while Laura retained an alto harmony.

_The angels fall first_

Back in her normal register, Kagome continued, the guitar also changing key to a lower tone.

_Not relieved by thoughts of Shangri-la  
__Nor enlightened by the lessons of Christ  
__I'll never understand the meaning of the right  
__Ignorance lead me into the light_

The girls maintained the same guitar melody while Kagome again vocalized. Then she began the chorus again.

_Needed elsewhere  
__To remind us of the shortness of our time_

Laura sang the next line under her and continued to provide an alto harmony for the next few lines.

_Tears laid for them  
__Tears of love  
__Tears of fear  
__Bury my dreams  
__Dig up my sorrows  
__Oh, Lord, why_

For the final line of the chorus both girls went up, Laura still providing harmony, slightly lower than Kagome, creating a pleading effect.

_The angels fall first_

Kagome again vocalized where she would have placed a flute, the guitars dropping out while she did so. When the guitar did come back, she was again adding slightly Spanish flourishes while Laura kept the melody.

Switching the guitar melody to a low arpeggio and her own voice to a low, almost alto tone, Kagome began the tag.

_Sing me a song  
__Of your beauty  
__Of your kingdom  
__Let the melodies  
__Of your harps  
__Caress those who we still need_

Inuyasha couldn't help but notice that she seemed almost bitter at the beginning of the stanza. When she continued, it was in the same melody.

_Yesterday we shook hands  
__My friend_

A lone tear ran down her cheek as she continued, in a slightly higher key, with Laura again providing the alto harmony, the guitars continuing the slight arpeggio.

_Today a moonbeam lightens my path  
__My Guardian_

The slight vibrato on the held vowel only added to the mournful note. Returning the attention to the guitars, they returned to the original melody for about four measures before closing out.

The almost ferocious applause and catcalls made Inuyasha wince and pin his ears to his head. "Alright, show's over!" he barked. Noticing that Kagome looked a bit afraid, he flashed her a brief, reassuring grin, before telling the 'class', "Get back to work!"

"Hey," Laura's concerned voice brought Kagome's attention back to her. "You sure you're alright? You zoned out for a bit there."

"I-I'm fine," Kagome stuttered, feeling the beginnings of a headache. "I've got somewhere I need to be." She hurriedly put the acoustic back in its case before muttering a quick 'bye' and almost running to the door.

Laura sighed and turned to look at the sub, who was halfway to the door already. Figuring he could take care of whatever was bothering Kag, albeit in a rather gruff way, Laura returned her attention to her practice.

"Oi! Would you wait up a minute!" the annoyed voice made Kagome stop in her tracks.

Turning around on the landing, she faced the hanyou. "Look, I have to be somewhere, so if you could make this quick-"

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered. "Caught that."

"If you've nothing to say," she narrowed her eyes coldly. "I'm leaving."

"You're her, aren't you?" the question had the desired effect; she turned to look at him again.

"What do you want?" her voice trembled slightly.

"Nothing currently," he shrugged. "Just wanted to check."

"Well you have," she began to flee down the stairs again.

Sighing, Inuyasha jumped the banister, landing at the foot of the stairs. In response, Kagome's eyes widened and she nearly tripped. "Why so jumpy?" he asked mildly.

"I'm not jumpy."

He leaned against the small wall that held the banister. "Sure coulda fooled me."

She eyed him oddly, asking again, "What do you want?"

"For starters, I'm kinda curious as to where that bruise came from, never mind the cut," he feigned disinterest, acting as if he were cleaning his nails, his amber eyes daring her to deny the truth.

"What bruise?" she asked even as her hand flew up to cover it.

Scrutinizing her with narrowed eyes, he hissed, "You know damn well what bruise. What happened?"

"Nothing," she said hurriedly, "I fell."

"Into what?" he snorted. "Someone's fist?"

"Look, you wouldn't understand," she started.

"Try me."

Changing tactics, she pleaded, "Please don't badger me about it. He didn't mean it. It was an accident."

"If you only knew how many times I've heard that same bullshit," he said quietly, looking more hurt than angry.

A door creaked open and a slightly amused, slightly annoyed voice called out, "If you two are done, some of us have a class now."

"Sorry, Mr. Mamoru," Kagome apologized.

At the same time, Inuyasha grinned, "Sure Pop, whatever. Go drink your prune juice."

"I'll make you write lines," the elder inu-youkai warned.

"Oh, please, not the lines," Inuyasha mock begged. "Anything but the lines."

Snorting in a way all too reminiscent of his son, the history professor disappeared back into his rooms.

Inuyasha sighed, turning back to a bewildered Kagome, "I'm gonna head back up. When you're ready to tell me, you know where to find me." With that, walked back up the stairs, leaving a very confused Kagome near the landing.

_

* * *

THWACK!_

"Stupid!"

_TWANG! THWACK!_

"Annoying!"

_TWANGTWANG! THWACKTHWACK!_

"Hanyou!" Kagome screamed to no one, firing three arrows in quick succession.

_TWANGTWANGTWANG! THWACKTHWACKTHWACK!_

Glaring at the target, upwards of ten arrows stuck in the bullseye, Kagome breathed deeply then walked over to retrieve her ammunition.

"Here's an idea," Joey said slowly. "How's about, before a competition, we get her majorly pissed off?"

"Sure, sounds like a plan, who gets the honors?" were the scattered responses.

"What in the bloody hell are you doing standing around!" the furious miko shouted at her teammates. "This is PRACTICE! Get your asses to work!"

"And that," Cait quipped, "is why she's the team captain."

* * *

"And you came to this conclusion, how?" Miroku tried not to snicker at the fiercely protective light in his friend's eyes.

"Think about it," Inuyasha leaned forward in his seat. "She's always wearing long sleeves and jeans. It's _ninety_ fuckin' degrees out. She's built up walls a mile thick Doesn't seem to trust anyone other than this 'Sango' character. She hides out, in the studio, the bar, the library, the college, where ever. Point is, she avoids being at home."

Miroku, who'd stopped listening around the time Sango was mentioned, nodded dumbly. Catching himself, he shook off his stupor, then pointed out, "And you've seen her, what, twice?"

"Four times."

"You're counting," Miroku noted. "Planning on asking her out?"

"Would you get your damn mind out of the fucking gutter?" the hanyou's irritated voice nearly coaxed a snicker from his friend.

"All kidding aside," Miroku tilted his head, gauging his friend's reaction. "What would you do? You sure as hell can't sic Child Protective Services on the guy."

"I know," running a hand through his hair, Inuyasha said quietly, "I'd just feel better once she was out of there."

* * *

Returning home from her shift at the bar, Kagome found the kitchen clean and her father at the kitchen table, staring blankly into what must have been his umpteenth cup of coffee.

"I'm home," she announced weakly. She moved to sit by her father. He said nothing, merely looked up at her for a second before returning his attention to his coffee.

Growing tired of the tense silence, Kagome asked, "Where's Shippo?"

"In bed, " came the soft answer. "Asleep. Sango dropped him off before she went to work."

"Dad," Tony looked at his daughter, surprised. "You know I'm not angry at you?"

"I don't know why though," he chuckled bitterly.

"You weren't thinking clearly for one," she scooted her chair closer to him, then rested her head on his shoulder. "You were depressed and angry and," she paused, "drunk."

Tony winced, "I shouldn't have been, though, I promised you."

"You're human, Dad," Kagome pointed out. "You aren't Superman."

Kissing the top of his daughter's head, he mumbled, "Thank you."

"Any time," she replied softly.

They remained like that for a moment before Tony broke the silence, "Now. What's bothering you, Satakieli?"

"It's nothing," Kagome huffed.

"Now I know there's something," he pulled back from his daughter to look her in the eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Just someone too nosy for their own good," she returned his gaze before crossing her arms. "It's nothing I can't handle."

"Kagome," his tone demanded an answer. "I hate to play the guilt card, but you remember what happened the last time you told me that you could 'handle it'," he looked at her covered wrists pointedly.

Kagome looked away guiltily, "I know," she sighed. "It's nothing but some guy making stupid assumptions. I know he means well, it's just so-" her mouth moved but no sound came out, "-ing annoying."

Tony looked at her oddly.

"What?" she asked, annoyed.

"You just," he broke out into laughter, his blue eyes dancing. "Bleeped yourself."

Kagome blinked rapidly several times before joining him.

* * *

Sesshomaru watched, amused, as his brother stalked back and forth in the living room. He was muttering to himself, cursing violently at irregular intervals, and glancing at the clock no less than once every five seconds.

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Sesshomaru began. "But what has you so irritated?"

Obviously not having heard him, Inuyasha spat violently, "And I can't do a fucking thing!"

"About what, son?" Inutaisho frowned as his elder son hid a smirk at his brother's expense.

"Her!" his younger son cried, helplessly.

"Who?" the elder inu-youkai furrowed his brow. "Kagome?"

Inuyasha whirled around, "Of course, Kago-" he gave his father a bewildered look. "You know her?"

"Kagome Higurashi," Inutaisho nodded. "'Bout 5'3", fiery temper, sharp tongue, good at poetry, deadly aim. Yep, taught her about four years ago."

"Oh, this is perfect," the hanyou slumped into a chair. Then something his father said caught his attention. "'Deadly aim'? With what, exactly?"

"Bow and arrow," Sesshomaru tried not to snicker when his father answered as though this were the obvious response. "She captains the Uni team now, I think."

"Anything else I should know?" Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow.

"Hmmm," his father feigned thought. Then, ticking off on his fingers he continued, "Best friend's a demon slayer, overprotective wolf demon buddy, hangs out with a wind demoness who'd sooner literally blow you away than argue. Nope, think that's about it."

"Heard about her," Inuyasha started. "Met him, met her."

"When?"

"Which one?"

Inutaisho gave his son a deadpan look. "All of them."

"She threatened to let her demon slayer friend pound Miroku, Wolf Breath, also known as Kouga, tried to beat the shit out of me, thought we were dating, Wind Demon chick, think her name's Kagura, interrupted, called Kagome a hooker a few times and whined at her for not calling."

"Yep, that'd be them," he snickered. "Do I even want to know why she threatened Miroku?"

"Probably not."

"Alright then," Inutaisho returned to his reading for all of two minutes before his curiosity got the better of him.

"Why, exactly, are you so worried over her?"

"No reason," his son was studiously avoiding eye contact.

Sesshomaru snorted softly, "And that's why you 'can't do a fucking thing'?"

There was a long pause, "Shut up, Sess."

* * *

_**Yeah, not my favorite chap. Eh, Inuyasha's little habit of assuming might get him into trouble. I fully intend to bring back Kouga, Kagura, their gang, Kikyou, and Naraku, just not in this chap...Possibly in the next. **_

_**Naraku being nice might be a bit odd, but I don't really like that he's always the Uber-villain in the AU's as well as the canon. Don't worry, he'll have a couple of creepy moments; he already has the sneaky stuff down. **_

_**Anyone who doesn't mind Naraku not being super evil, go check out Maiden of the Moon's 'What He'd Do For Love: The Unheard Story', and Greywolf's 'Let the Music Be Your Master'...Scratch that. EVERYONE go check out those two authors, now!**_


	5. Chapter Four

_Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine...Don't own Kamelot either...I do however still own Tony...Surprisingly, Meryn Riley, Julissa Quintero, and Karen Louma are friends of mine and would kill me if they knew how I kinda-sorta didn't really change them...Oooh...Almost forgot, I own none of the groups either Inu or Kag mention, but they're amazing, check them out...Me no own the Big Butts song...But GOD who'd want to?_

_A/N: My GOD this chapter took forever! It's twenty frickin' pages long and about a third of it was written in Colorado and Arizona... In a car...Stopping to look at scenery every five friggin' minutes... And ACK! I have Inu quoting SHAKESPEARE of all things! Bonus points to anyone who can tell me what line and, if possible, who said it in what play..._

_Thanks to: Megs, for not killing me; Riss, for putting up with me; e-chan16, for reviewing and mentioning the characterization; InuKagluver91, for reviewing; taitinfairylover, for reviewing...and I'm still not sure how badly Inu's gonna screw things up...; tsunami-chan 3, for the review...Though I'm not so sure 'exceptional' would be what I'd call it...; Gremlins Rule 50, for the review; Endoven, for the review and help...You know you were the first to point out Nightwish? HIM is awesome too...Have you tried Sonata Arctica yet?_

* * *

The next morning she was again in the studio. She'd picked up an electric this time and was seated next to an amp, the volume so low that only she and, by virtue of his sense of hearing, Inuyasha were able to tell what she was doing. She had a beat-up manila folder in front of her and was alternately scribbling in it or glaring at it. 

"Damnit," she muttered, causing him to grin. "Chord still doesn't sound right." She sighed deeply and mumbled something that was probably a violent curse. "Screw it," turning a page, "next!"

Ignoring her as best he could, Inuyasha wandered around the room, mostly observing, occasionally helping various students when needed.

Glaring at the hanyou's back, Kagome scowled. He was damn lucky he hadn't come near her yet; she was running on a very short fuse and him assuming would only make her snap. Looking back down at her folder, she grimaced. This one had been waiting for months for her to put the music together.

Pouting, trying to figure out how to construct the music, and knowing that it would probably annoy Inuyasha, Kagome idly began to play the melody for The Rasmus's "Not Like the Other Girls."

Recognizing the slow, waltz-time tune, Inuyasha shot her an amused 'what-the-hell-are-you-doing?' look over his shoulder only to find her eyes closed and her swaying in time to the music. Intentionally coughing loud enough to startle her, he returned his attention to the red-headed sophomore in front of him, one ear turned back to listen for her reaction.

She abruptly stopped playing, her eyes shot open and then narrowed at him. "And just what the hell was that for?" she snarled under her breath, knowing he would hear. When he didn't answer she returned her attention to the paper in front of her.

"What was I on when I wrote you?" she asked the page hopelessly. "Oh, yeah. Apocalypse Now and Pepsi…."

Turning his laugh into a cough, Inuyasha meandered over towards her.

Feeling someone's breath hit the side of her face, Kagome jumped. Glancing over her shoulder, she glared at the hanyou, expecting to find an arrogant smirk, instead she found him slack-jawed and looking at her as if she belonged in a nuthouse.

"How far did you read?" she drawled. "Line two?"

"First four lines, actually," he backed away from her slowly.

"You made it farther than Dad," she smirked. "Ya wanna cookie for it?"

"No," he smiled nervously. "Just the number to the nearest shrink."

"Do you always assume things?"

"I didn't 'assume' anything about that!" he said, indignant, pointing at the page. " 'Today I killed, He was just a boy, EIGHT before him, I knew them all'!"

"Yeah, yeah," she grinned maniacally. " Read farther."

"I'm kinda afraid to," he ignored the snickers of the students behind him.

"Fine then," she picked the page up. "'In the fields of dying oath, I killed them all to save my own, Cut me free, Bleed with me, Oh no, One by one, We will fall, Down down, Pull the plug, End the pain, Run and fight for life, Hold on tight, This ain't my fight.'"

He'd stopped the 'you're-nuts-and-need-a-shrink-STAT' look and had a somewhat thoughtful expression on his face. "You have a tempo yet?"

"Kinda trying to work on that here," she looked around. Evidently the discussion was more interesting than practice for the students.

"Scram would ya?" the hanyou muttered, glaring at the kids. "Feel like I'm a fuckin' zoo exhibit." Getting the meaning, the students all made their way back to where they'd been working, whispering excitedly about the cussing sub.

Kagome smiled at him innocently, "But with very cute ears."

"Very funny, wench," he snatched the folder from the stand. Flipping through the pages, his golden eyes scanned the words. He stopped on one and smirked, an amused eyebrow arched. He waved the paper in front of her face, "Your Pop read this one too?"

Azure orbs followed the rapidly moving words. She tried to decipher the title. 'Passion and the Opera' her mind finally told her. Flushing crimson, she grabbed the paper from his hand, giving a quick "Not yet," in response to his question.

Still smirking, he remarked idly, "Behold, how like a maid she blushes here!"

He picked up her electric from where she'd leaned it against the stool and examined it for a moment. Noticing her glare, he reassured her, "I won't hurt your 'Baby'." Looking at the paper in her hands, he began to pick out the chords she'd written.

She watched as he went through various styles and tempos before settling on one he liked. It was harsh sounding and a bit fast and, surprisingly, it fit the way she'd planned to sing the lyrics.

When he started the section over again in his preferred style, Kagome started with the lyrics. Blushing slightly, she sang softly,

_Princess of lust  
__Dignity put to dust  
__A virginal sight  
__Their apple to bite_

Amber eyes gave her a questioning look when she chose to hum the next section rather than sing it. Still humming, her response was to point to a line and then to the students, who were all watching anyway.

The melody reached the refrain and she again sang.

_An Aphrodite for mortal souls  
Playing hide-and-seek in lecherous roles  
Their erotic hour, my tearless weep  
Their satisfaction, my infinite sleep_

At the end of her hand written notes, Inuyasha stopped playing. He looked over at the woman beside him, "Don't do that one when Miroku's there and you should be fine."

She nodded dazedly, then reached up to where her hair was held in a haphazard French Twist. Pulling out the pencil she'd used to hold it together, she allowed the raven waves to form a curtain around her face while she added to the notes she had.

While she wrote whatever the hell it was she was writing, Inuyasha used his hearing to tell him what the 'class' was doing. "Michaels, retune the G-string," he snapped out orders. "Garcia, pay attention to what you're doing, don't deaden the string. The three of you behind me, Riley, Quintero, Louma, stop twittering. This ain't a damn aviary."

The three girls, who were the self-proclaimed matchmakers/geeks of the class, fell silent. Meryn, the one Inuyasha called Riley, began gesturing frantically. Karen and Julissa, Louma and Quintero respectively, watched her, trying to make sense of the movements.

Hearing cloth rustling behind him, Inuyasha turned around. The blond, Riley, was either having an epileptic fit or trying to signal her friends. Amused, he continued to watch as she proceeded to act more frustrated and frantic and her friends became more and more confused.

Kagome heard the hanyou's muted snickering and decided to find out what was so funny. Swiveling in her chair, she watched the scene. Meryn, who, admittedly, was quite odd, pointed at Inuyasha and in Kagome's vicinity, waved her hand in a circle, pointed to her own ear, then to her friends, before finally towards a corner of the room. She then repeated the process several times, moving faster each cycle.

Julissa gave Karen the 'I-have-no-clue' look before turning back to the scene in front of her.

Spitting out a German phrase that made Kagome's eyes widen, Meryn walked over, grabbed her friends' arms and bodily dragged them to the corner she'd pointed at.

"She could've told 'em that," Inuyasha muttered, shaking his head.

Kagome looked at him askance, saying softly, "Be afraid. Be very afraid."

The bell rang before he could ask her what she meant by that. She hopped off the stool, snatched her guitar back, picked up her folder, gave him a salute/wave hybrid and was out the door.

Riley, Louma, and Quintero followed soon after, glancing at him for a second before Riley smirked evilly, tapping her fingers together as though plotting. Quintero and Louma traded glances before each grabbed one of Riley's elbows and hauled her out of the room. Quintero gave him a wave that was almost identical to Kagome's before closing the door to the studio.

Vowing to ask Kaede to make him an 'Anti-female' charm later, Inuyasha shuddered. He was glad that this was a Prep period and he wouldn't have to deal with the creatures for at least an hour. Walking to the miniscule desk in the corner of the room, he flipped on his portable CD player. The small speakers soon filled the room with the sounds of Iced Earth.

Satisfied, Inuyasha sat down in the chair behind the desk, spinning in a circle, air-guitaring along with Schaffer. He never noticed the ebony haired woman peeking through the window and smothering laughter.

* * *

Kagome sat in her Music Composition class, trying for the umpteenth time not to burst out laughing at the image in her head. What was it with men and 'spinny chairs'? Anytime a man sat in one, they inevitably started spinning. 

Well, so did she, but that was another story.

"So, who'd like to meet the orchestra and choir we'll be using?" Mr. Ochoa's voice asked excitedly.

The class simultaneously raised their hands.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Mr. Ochoa was bouncing on his toes. "Let's go!"

"Someone had their happy pills today," grumbled Michael.

Kagome turned to him, smiling, and said, "Just wondering, but, when you sit in one of those chairs that spins, do you spin around? Or are you able to control that urge?"

He gave her an odd look, said, " Never really thought about it," and walked faster.

Grinning broadly, Kagome followed.

* * *

"Hey, Kag," the blue-eyed wolf gave a lopsided smile. "Where's your friend?" 

"You scared him off," Kagome said dryly.

"Really?" Kouga almost looked hopeful.

"No," she smiled. "He's got a class right now." She took a seat next to him, beaming. "So, whatcha got?"

"I have a couple of those bass-lines for you," he waved the papers in front of her face.

"You're the second person to do that to me today," Kagome remarked.

Kouga froze, "To do what?"

"To wave a paper in front of me. Normally it wouldn't bother me, but twice in one day is annoying."

"He didn't mean anything by it," Kagura chose that moment to walk up behind them and wrap her arms around her boyfriend's middle. "Did'ya babe?"

"'Course I didn't," Kouga craned his neck to kiss his girlfriend gently.

Kagome turned away, partly to be polite, partly out of embarrassment, but mostly so her own lack of a significant other wouldn't be addressed.

"So…Kaggers…" count on Kagura to bring up that exact subject. "Where's that hunk of mancake you had with you last time?"

Kouga pouted at the idea that his girlfriend found another man attractive. Kagome furrowed her brow at the somewhat…odd…term.

"Class," she explained for the second time. "Now, about those bass-lines?"

"Right," Kouga snapped his attention from the wind demoness. "I've got 'Sacrament', 'Stargazers', and 'Kinslayer'."

Kagome hugged him impulsively, ignoring Kagura's feigned indignant squawk. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she gushed.

"You're welcome," Kouga hugged her back slightly. "Now," he pulled away. "What the hell is going through your head sometimes?"

"What times?" Kagome tried desperately to look completely innocent.

"'Kinslayer'," he said bluntly.

"Uh," she looked to Kagura for help.

"No," the wind demoness smirked. "I wanna hear this."

"Well, I was kinda angry," Kagome trailed off, hoping he would leave it at that.

"About?" evidently he wasn't going to.

"Look," she spoke in a rush. "I'll explain it all when I 'debut' it at the show tonight. Ok?"

Kouga quirked an eyebrow at her, "Alright. I'll let you off for now. But you'd better explain it."

Kagome flashed him a relieved smile, "Don't worry. I will."

She held out her hand, "Tapes? Or did you want to keep the crap-tastic things?"

Kagura shook her head before pulling the tapes out of her boyfriend's bag. "Nah, we'll just come see the real thing."

* * *

"Father?" the stoic voice rang throughout the room. "Are you in here?" 

"In the back!" the history professor called to his son.

"I need your opinion on something," Sesshomaru walked back towards the voice.

"Opinion on what?" Inutaisho tried to keep the surprise out of his voice. His eldest son very rarely asked for anyone's opinion on anything.

"There is an," he paused for a moment, "artist I was thinking of signing."

"Well?" he shrugged. "Why would you need my opinion on that?"

"She isn't exactly the usual style of performer the label would sign," the younger inu-youkai trailed off.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I believe she is performing again tonight," his son stated calmly. "Perhaps you could observe and tell me what you think I should do."

Inutaisho didn't respond. There was no need to; his son had already left the room.

* * *

"Please, Kagome?" the doe-eyes pleaded desperately. "I'll never ask for anything, ever, again!" 

"That's exactly what you said last time," cerulean eyes narrowed in response. "I'm not falling for it this time."

That pout was not going to affect her. Nope. Not at all… "Fine," she sighed. "I'll do it."

Storming off to table two, Kagome fixed a smile to her face. "Welcome back!" she greeted cheerily. "What can I get for you?"

"Hello, Kagome," the history professor greeted kindly. "I can't speak for them, but I'd rather like a scotch."

"Let me guess," Kagome smiled wider. "On the rocks?"

He nodded.

"And for you three?" she turned her attention to the other occupants of the table. "Two beers and a Mai Tai?"

"I'm wounded," came the remark from the violet-eyed lech.

"Not as much as you will be if you do anything perverted," she shot back.

Inuyasha hid a smirk.

"What about you?" she looked to the hanyou. "Fries? Or should I make a pre-emptive strike against Armageddon and bring out some Ramen?"

"Cheeky little wench, aren't you?" He quirked an eyebrow in her direction. With a glint in his eye, he mouthed, 'Passion and the Opera?'.

"One scotch, three beers, and a jumbo portion of salty noodles coming right up," headed for the bar, but not before mouthing back, 'Spinny chair?'.

Thoroughly confused, Inuyasha decided that his brother might have some interesting topics up his sleeve.

* * *

"Kagome!" Kikyou seemed worried. "What's wrong?" 

"Table eight is driving me nuts," Kagome answered bluntly.

"What are they doing?" the elder woman sighed.

"They have a three-year old that's running rampant, I've nearly tripped over him twice already, a baby who I can tell is upset but the mother makes no attempt to even check, and the husband is a worse pervert than that Miroku guy!" the raven-haired woman finished loading her tray and began to walk towards the table. "Honestly if he stares at my chest again, I'll zap him! I don't care if mikos aren't supposed to harm anyone; he's really pissing me off."

"You aren't the only one he's pissing off," Kikyou muttered. She could swear that the hanyou at table two growled every time Kagome went to the other table.

* * *

Pasting her smile back on, Kagome headed back to table two. "Alright," she began to pass out drinks. "Your scotch, three beers, and an order of ramen. Anything else?" 

She looked up, only to find that Inuyasha was giving her an odd look, while Miroku was snickering behind his hand at his friend. "Alright, what is it? Did I get ketchup on my face? What?"

"You don't smell," the hanyou stated bluntly.

Kagome opened her mouth to ask what the hell that was supposed to mean, when a shout of "Waitress!" came from table eight.

Resisting the urge to cover her face with her tray and run back to the kitchen, Kagome walked over to the table. She again had to narrowly avoid tripping over the three-year-old. "Yes sir," she forced a smile. "Can I help you?"

"We're sorry to bother you," the woman sounded genuinely regretful. "But my husband wanted to know-"

"When the hell will our food be ready?" the man broke in.

"Sir," Kagome moved the tray to cover her chest. "It takes time for the cooks to process the order and make the food. You ordered five minutes ago."

"I know when we ordered," the man sneered. "I didn't ask for excuses."

Kagome was about to respond when the baby began to wail.

"Would you shut her up!" the man snarled at his wife.

Bouncing the baby on her knee, the wife responded, "I'm trying, Jeremy. I told you she doesn't like to be stuck in that carrier with nothing to do."

"And I told you, Sharyl," Jeremy retorted. "To find a fucking baby-sitter."

Taking pity on the woman, Kagome said quietly, "Maybe I can help."

"You don't have to," Sharyl said hurriedly. " She'll calm down in a moment, she's just terribly bored."

"No," the waitress shook her head. "It's the least I can do, I might be able to get her to sleep for a bit."

"Forget it, woman," the husband snorted. "Stupid kid won't shut up for anything."

"Could you put her back in the carrier for a moment?" Kagome ignored him.

The tow-headed woman complied and Kagome knelt in front of the child. Summoning two small balls of power, one bright pink, the other pale blue, she held them in her hand for a moment, showing them to the child.

The wailing stopped. Young hazel eyes watched as the two objects began to spin slowly. They then began to revolve around each other, bouncing slightly, keeping the baby's attention. The small show went on for about a minute and a half before the child's eyelids began to droop.

When the baby was sleeping soundly, Kagome stood, retrieved her tray from where she'd placed it on the table, and murmured, "I'll go check on your food," before walking toward the kitchen.

"Kagome!" Sango said as she entered the kitchen. "What was that at table eight?"

"It was nothing, Sango. Don't worry."

"Nothing my ass!" Sango snapped. "You're shaking."

"The guy just gives me the creeps," Kagome smiled nervously. "That's all."

"You're going to explain everything to me later," Sango's tone left no room for argument as she marched out the door.

Steadying herself, Kagome questioned Tiff, the cook for the evening, "That order for table eight? They want to know about how much longer it'll be."

"I'm starting on it right now."

"Thanks," Kagome smiled and went to check on her customers.

* * *

"I don't care what it is," Inuyasha muttered. "It's damn weird." 

"There must be a reason for it," Sesshomaru tried to appease.

Something clicked in the hanyou's mind. "Miroku, you said there was a contest to find her identity right?"

"Yep, " the thoroughly disinterested human answered.

"That's why, then," Inutaisho said, obviously having reached the same conclusion as his son.

"Five minute warning," Miroku murmured, watching the tall brunette waitress walk towards a door off to the right of the stage.

"Wolf warning," Inuyasha muttered, glaring half-heartedly at the door.

Kouga and Kagura had just walked in. Smirking, Kouga found a two seater near Inuyasha's group and loped over towards it.

"Nice to see you again," Kouga snickered.

"Wish I could say the same," Inuyasha mumbled.

"Kouga, Kagura," Inutaisho greeted. "What brings you here?"

"The entertainment," Kouga smiled. "How ya doin', old man?"

Kagura swatted Kouga's chest for that last comment. "Be nice," she hissed.

"Guys," Miroku broke in, "Showtime."

* * *

"Well," Kagome fidgeted nervously in the robe. "I was simply going to launch into a song, but a dear friend of mine asked me to explain this one." 

She paused; under the shield of the hood she looked straight at Kouga, who was relaxed in his chair, his eyes watching her. "Several years ago, in Colorado, two young boys made a decision. One day in April, they took guns into their high school. We know this incident now as 'Columbine'.

"Several weeks after, once I at least had recovered from shock, I sat down with my notebook and wrote out what I felt about it. Later, it turned into another song.

"I have never performed this one before now, along with two others that you will hear tonight. This is simply titled 'The Kinslayer'."

She stepped back and, raising her hands, began the synth-laden intro. Once the synth had finished it's run, the guitar took over playing a short, melodic riff.

_For whom the gun tolls  
__For whom the prey weeps  
__Bow before a war  
__Call it religion_

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. The words didn't surprise him so much as the way she was singing. Her voice was below her normal range.

Back in her normal register, Kagome continued.

_Some wounds never heal  
__Some tears never will  
__Dry for the unkind  
__Cry for mankind_

A four note run on the synth later and she was back in the lower key. Inutaisho smiled, quickly forming the same opinion of the girl as his two sons did.

_Even the dead cry  
__Their only comfort  
__Kill your friend, I don't care  
__Orchid kids, blinded stare_

Kagura tried not to stare dumbly. Kouga had told her that this song was darker than Kagome's normal fare, he hadn't mentioned how, though.

Bouncing back to her normal key, Kagome finished out the last section before the break.

_Need to understand  
__No need to forgive  
__No truth, no sense left to be followed_

A long synth and guitar driven break followed. Kagome created an image in her mind. That little power ball trick earlier had been small fry compared to what this was going to be.

Towards the end of the run, certain members in the audience noticed a shadow beginning to form on the makeshift stage. By the end of the break, many would have sworn that it was human, excepting that it was translucent.

The figure easily towered over the small woman. Large and muscular, he took up most of the spotlight, and what he didn't take up, his somewhat menacing aura claimed.

Kagome had turned slightly to face the figure and, satisfied with it, continued on.

_Facing this unbearable fear, like meeting an old friend_

The figure responded with a mocking exhalation and a sneered sentence.

_Time to die, poor mates, you made me what I am_

Kagome's voice turned slightly pleading.

_In this world of a million religions, everyone prays the same way_

Sesshomaru tilted his head. The sentences weren't randomly scripted. They had been taken directly from the event.

_Your praying is in vain; it'll all be over soon_

The figure's somewhat maniacal laughter was balanced by the instruments, making it difficult to hear.

Knowing that the drama was more important than the illusion of playing the instruments in this instance, Kagome pulled her hands to her chest, tilting her face slightly to the ceiling, before holding her arms out, palms up, in a gesture of begging.

_Father help me! Save me a place by your side_

The figure cut off her last sentence sharply, seeming to bear down on her.

_There is no god! Our creed is but for ourselves,  
__Not a hero, unless you die,  
__Our species eat the wounded ones_

She returned the favor of cutting him off, a slight sneer curling her lip, derision seeping into her voice.

_Drunk with the blood of your victims  
__I do feel your pity-wanting pain  
__Lust for fame a deadly game_

His voice seemed insane and desperate as he cried out.

_Run away! With your impeccable kin_

Raising one hand toward the figure's face, Kagome spoke one sentence before a flick of her wrist banished him.

_…Good wombs hath borne bad sons…_

The ensuing lyrics sounded very bitter; a harsh, chant-like rhythm, the melody.

_Cursing, God, why  
__Falling for every lie  
__Survivor's guilt  
__In us forever more_

A new candle appearing at each syllable accented the next stanza.

_Fifteen candles  
__Redeemers of this world  
__Dwell in hypocrisy_

The lit candles formed an odd triangle. They weren't arranged by color, the nine blue and four pink interspersed, the two black on the ends of the base.

_How were we supposed to know?_

As the final note sounded, all of the candles immediately vanished. This time, the audience was the one to initiate the applause.

Sesshomaru exchanged glances with his father, who gave him a very enthusiastic, for him anyway, nod.

The next song was Stargazers, a synth-heavy track with lyrics that lent themselves to imagery.

_A grand oasis in the vastness of gloom,  
__Child of dew-spangled cobweb  
__Mother to the moon  
__Constellations beholdens of the 3rd vagrant  
__Theatre for the play of life_

The chorus was slightly more operatic than most of her songs but worked well. Kouga smiled, this was the type of song he was used to Kagome singing. No huge hidden meaning, just a small trip away from reality.

Soon she was back in that lower range, a coy smile on her face.

_Oracle of the Delphian Domine  
__Witness to Adam's frailty  
__Seer of the master prophecy  
__The stellar world her betrothed_

'Mission: Get Together initiated,' Kagome mentally sighed. She'd been watching Sango and Miroku under the cover of the hood. Sango would glance at Miroku then quickly look away when he'd glance back.

Sango could swear up and down that she hated the lecher, but she definitely couldn't hide the slight blush that appeared when he caught her looking at him.

As soon as she was sure that Kikyou and Naraku were alright, Kagome was going to get these two together if it was the last thing she did. She closed out the song and gestured for Sango to bring up 'The Box'.

"Question and Answer time," she quipped tiredly.

Sango opened the box and Kagome looked at her. Making sure her voice wouldn't carry, she sang lowly while pulling out a slip, "You like him, You think he's gorgeous, You want to date him…"

"Shaddup," Sango hissed, crimson, before stalking off the stage.

"Wonder what she's grinning about now," Kagura muttered.

"Hoo, boy…" Kagome whistled to herself. She held the slip out between two fingers. "I demand a do-over."

Sango snorted before heading back up. She held the box firmly under one arm and snatched the slip from her friend.

"It says," Sango announced, ignoring the fact that Kagome had put her head in her hands and was whining piteously. " 'Are you still a virgin? If so, would you like not to be?' "

Most of the club cracked up. Kagome's weak, "No comment," brought even more laughter.

Sango smiled smugly, and flounced off the stage. "I will kill you for that," Kagome muttered behind her.

"Now that I've been mortified enough to last me a lifetime," she addressed the crowd, drawing several chuckles from the men and sympathetic smiles from the women. "What say we continue?"

* * *

"You are evil and should die a thousand deaths for that." 

"You really think so?" the mock flattered voice was answered with a slight snarl.

"I can't believe you did that!"

"I could say the same for you, y'know," Sango pointed out. "_Miss Congeniality_ was not very nice."

"But oh-so-true," Kagome grinned broadly when Sango sputtered in response.

"So, what was that at table eight?"

"Guy just gives me a really bad feeling," Kagome sighed. "That's all."

"Now, as accurate as your instincts are, you were shaking. What the hell happened?"

"Do you remember anything from when you were a baby?"

The question caught Sango off-guard. "N-no."

"Babies don't have the memory of a goldfish," Kagome was beginning to fold the robe. "Memories that bother them come to the forefront when they're upset or something strikes a chord."

Sango watched her silently; her hands were beginning to tremble again.

"If you have a strong enough connection with them, even for an instant, you can see some of what troubles them," she gave up on the robe and sat heavily in the chair. "It was kinda how I knew what was bothering Souta when he was little."

"So, what was bothering the kid," Sango prodded gently.

"Nothing really, she just wanted to be held, paid attention to," Kagome smiled softly, then it disappeared. "Then the father started to take it out on her mother. That's what upset her. I think…No…I'm pretty sure he's emotionally abusive."

"Little one calmed down pretty quick for something like that," Sango's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I-I," Kagome faltered, looking around guiltily. "I distracted her."

"You did it again, didn't you?"

Kagome sighed. "She's too young to have so many memories of things like that."

"You know damn well that for her it's only temporary!" Sango snapped. "You've gotta quit doing this, Kag. You aren't helping yourself."

Kagome stayed silent. Sango was right. It was only temporary for the child. Within two weeks she'd remember everything again.

Sango took a deep breath. "Finish your shift. Go home. I'll close," she walked out of the room.

Kagome waited a couple of minutes before following. She knew Sango wasn't mad at her, simply worried.

She passed Kikyou, who gave her a soft smile and an 'They'll be alright.' Kagome smiled back, gratefully, and moved to check on the tables.

Table two didn't need anything, according to them, Kouga and Kagura just wanted a soda, and table eight wanted the check.

After the family had left, Kagome quickly cleared the table. She slipped the small tip the husband had left into a pocket.

'Asshole,' she thought bitterly as she picked up the plates. Underneath the three-year-old's plate was a note, folded around a fifty-dollar bill. The note simply said, 'I'm sorry.'

Kagome bit her lip. How in the world did someone like Sharyl end up with that ass?

* * *

"No. No, please! Please," Kagome begged. "Start?" 

The car stubbornly refused.

"Augh!" the steering wheel received a rather vicious pounding. "Whatever gods I've pissed off, I'm sorry ok? What ever it is I've done, I'll never do it again. Just, please, start!"

"Do you always talk to the air?" Yep, there was a smirk hidden in there.

"Oh, thank god, it's you!" the immense relief in her voice spawned raised eyebrows, and not only from the hanyou.

"Something you'd like to share with the class, Inuyasha?" the violet eyed lech grinned broadly.

"You need a ride?" the only acknowledgement his friend's comment received was an ear-flick.

"Are you serious?" the glimmer of hope in her voice brought smiles to the faces of the men.

In response, Miroku opened the passenger side door, stepped out of the SUV, and waved her into the car.

Kagome smiled brilliantly, grabbed her purse and ever-present satchel, locked up her car, and nearly bounded into the SUV. "Thank you so much," she gushed. "I thought I was going to have to walk home."

"It's no problem at all," Miroku soothed from the second row of seats.

Inuyasha caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to glare at the man. "Hands off."

Had Miroku not caught the slight growl, he would have responded with his usual "Who? Me?" act. However, Miroku was very observant, and so he responded, "Claimed her already, eh?" His usual grin widened when Inuyasha reached to turn on the CD player rather than answer.

_I like big butts and I cannot lie  
__You other brothers can't deny_

Inuyasha let out a howl of frustration, ears pinned firmly to his head.

"Do you mind?" Kagome queried, holding a CD carrier.

"Anything's better than this," the hanyou grumbled while Sir Mix-a-Lot continued his 'rapping'

Kagome quickly ejected the disc. Sparing a glance at the top of it, she asked, "POI Mix?"

"Piss Off Inuyasha mix," came the tight response while Miroku snickered.

She glanced around the seat and quirked an eyebrow at the dark-haired man," I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you have a death wish."

"No," Inuyasha muttered. "He just likes to see how far he can push me."

"Ah," Kagome nodded sagely as she placed a disc in the player and quickly skipped the first track. "Reminds me of White Noise," she explained.

When the second track started, Inuyasha glanced at her, "'Epica'?"

She nodded.

"They sound European," Miroku observed.

"Well," Kagome started. " Roy Khan is Norwegian."

"But the group formed in Florida," Inuyasha finished.

"Good metal?" Miroku sounded stunned. "From America?"

"Iced Earth," the two in the front seat answered simultaneously.

"Pantera," Inuyasha added.

"Cradle of Filth," Kagome's addition earned her more raised eyebrows.

"What? I can't like death metal?"

"It's…" Miroku faltered. "Surprising is all."

"Eh," Kagome waved a hand dismissively. "Dimmu Borgir kicks their ass anyway."

"Now you're scaring me," Inuyasha eyed her suspiciously.

"It's a well known fact that Scandinavian rock is often better than its American counterpart," she defended. "Dimmu Borgir, Sinergy, Theatre of Tragedy," she rattled off a few groups. "Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius, Tristania."

"I can see why you two get along," Miroku observed.

"You'll want to exit in a moment," Kagome pointed out.

Inuyasha nodded and quickly changed lanes.

A low, tango-like rhythm filled the car.

"You bastard!" Kagome gaped at the dash. "It's on random!"

Inuyasha shrugged, "It's always on random."

"You can't put 'Epica' on random! It messes up the storyline!"

Miroku raised an eyebrow when the hanyou simply sighed and turned the random feature off.

"Better?"

"Much," she beamed. "Thank you."

Inuyasha merely grunted in response before starting to sing along.

_Love means nothing to me  
__If there is a higher place to be_

His voice was deeper than Khan's. Then again, most everyone's voice was deeper than Khan's.

Kagome leaned against the door and continued to give directions. Inuyasha would nod and continue singing. Miroku watched the two, amused.

_Helena, don't you cry  
__Believe me, I do this for you  
__Heed my decision now  
__I will be gone tomorrow noon_

There, that was more like it. The darker, almost threatening tone suited the hanyou's voice infinitely better.

_My tale has just begun  
__Nothing can take my faith away  
__In my quest for the sun_

The chorus came around again and Miroku joined in.

_Don't ask why  
__Don't be sad  
__Sometimes we all must alter paths we planned  
__Only try, understand  
__I want to save you from the lost and damned_

Kagome watched, amused, as Inuyasha nearly began headbanging and Miroku used her seat as his personal drumset.

Miroku stopped singing halfway through the final chorus to concentrate on his 'air-drumming'. Surprisingly, he was pretty accurate.

Inuyasha closed out the song on his own.

_Leave me behind, don't look back  
'Cause deep within you know  
I'm lost and damned_

Kagome applauded, smirking, when the song ended. Still resting her head against her window, she closed her eyes.

'Helena's Theme' began and, softly, she sang along.

_I remember a song  
__From long ago  
__Some of the pieces_

Miroku smiled. He'd guessed correctly. The accent was gone, but it was the same voice.

_They remind me of you  
__How could I know  
__You were to leave me?_

Inuyasha glanced over at her. She was half asleep. Fortunately, she'd already told him what street to turn at and that her home was the third on the right.

Sub-consciously, Kagome switched to her upper range, following the singer and surprising Miroku.

_I thought that I  
__I was that melody  
__Oh, so wrong  
__I'm but a whisper tonight_

Drifting off, Kagome managed to sing the last stanza.

_And if this is goodbye  
__I will leave  
__But I'll love you until the end_

The Town Crier was just beginning his announcement when they pulled into the drive.

Reluctant to wake the raven-haired woman, Inuyasha looked for the easiest way to lift her. Miroku noticed and said quietly, "If you can get her, I can carry her things."

Carefully removing her seatbelt, Inuyasha shifted the sleeping Kagome from the window. He was relieved when she didn't even stir. Leaning over, he lifted her gently and moved her into his lap. He then turned her so that her side rested against his chest. Then he slid out of the vehicle.

As soon as Kagome was out of her seat, Miroku moved to gather her things. He replaced the CD in her carrier, put the carrier in her satchel, and hefted the bag.

"What does she keep in this thing?" he asked aloud. "Bricks?"

"Just get up here, will ya?" despite the added strength that comes from demon blood, Inuyasha couldn't figure out a way to knock and hold Kagome that wouldn't result in dropping her.

Miroku scrambled half-heartedly to the door. He knocked, then readjusted the bag. "I really wonder what she's got in this bag," he said idly.

"If I know my daughter, too much," a slightly accented voice answered from the doorway.

Inuyasha stopped glaring at Miroku and turned to the man just inside the door.

The man looked to be about 6'0" tall, lanky. His brown hair was mussed and his clear blue eyes held a hint of mischief. There was also an air of sadness around him that reminded Inuyasha of his own father after the death of Inuyasha's mother.

When Kagome's father caught sight of the girl Inuyasha was holding protectively, Miroku saw his eyes soften and a gentle smile tug at his lips.

Miroku exchanged glances with the hanyou. Both were quickly reevaluating their opinion of this man.

Tony stepped aside to allow them in. He noticed sadly that the silver-haired young man with the dog ears hesitated before scampering in with his head down and ears back, like a pup expecting to be hit. He closed the door behind the two.

The dark-haired one seemed calm, surprised, but calm. The other seemed anxious, as though expecting to be run off at any moment.

"I do hope you'll forgive Inuyasha's impatience," the dark-haired man smiled serenely. "He means no disrespect, it is only-"

"You actually trust me in your home?" he seemed genuinely surprised. "Usually it's 'unhand my daughter you monster'."

Tony gestured to the still sleeping Kagome, "She trusts you. She feels safe with you. I trust her judgment."

"Oh."

Tony smiled gently, "Her room's at the end of the hall."

Confidence regained, the young man nodded and moved off.

Tony turned to the dark-haired one, "Do you want anything?"

The man shook his head. "You really do trust your daughter's judgment," he said wonderingly. "By the way, how do you know she feels safe with him?"

"I'm assuming her car died?" at the young man's nod, he continued. "If she didn't feel safe, she would never have accepted a ride, much less fallen asleep. Also, I didn't want to fight the grip she had on your friend's, Inuyasha was it, shirt."

The man chuckled and held out a hand, "Miroku Shizukesu."

Tony grasped it, "Tony Vuorinen."

* * *

Her room was a deep, calm set of blues. Well, what could be seen of it was anyway. 

Papers covered the walls, taped and thumb tacked into place. Her acoustic rested on a stand near a wall. Notebooks and folders were scattered across a desk. A bookshelf took up most of a wall, filled to overflowing with more books stacked nearby.

Inuyasha moved to the bed in the corner. Laying the sleeping woman down gently, he tried to stand.

Taking a wild leap of logic and deciding that it might be better if she didn't have a death grip on his shirt, Inuyasha tried to coax her into letting go.

"C'mon already," he muttered. "I ain't a damn teddy bear."

He glanced around, eyes scanning the walls. He stopped on one page.

_"These scars start longing for your touch  
__This bitter ocean of hatred and pain  
__This loneliness I feel to be who I am _

_The oceans are as alone as I  
__Somebody take away this gift of mine…"_

As if at last sensing that she was in a bed, Kagome rolled over, releasing his shirt.

"Finally!" Inuyasha sighed and stood.

He walked out of the room, and, murmuring a quick 'Night', closed the door behind him.

* * *

_Well, they've met the dad... Now what's Inu gonna do with his pesky little abuse theory? Who exactly put thatquestion in the box?And just what the hell DID Kag do to that kid? _

_All will, hopefully, be explained soon...As soon as I find that notebook again..._


	6. Chapter Five

_**Disclaimer: Don't own Inu. Anything Kag has written belongs to Tuomas Holopainen. The line 'You can't rollerskate in a buffalo herd' belongs to Roger Miller. The Diva Dance belongs to Eric Serra and is completely brilliant. Renée Fleming, Carly Simon, and Stevie Nicks belong to themselves. Don't own 'One Week' by the Barenaked Ladies either.**_

_**A/n: Eh, I took forever. No excuse. Sango and Kag's fight was a blast to write….Even though it's tiny…The Inu and Miroku making fun of Sess came out of nowhere, but was still amusing. And the bickering between Kag and Inu is back. Also, anybody want to beta? My beta is boycotting me at the moment….**_

* * *

Despite the early hour, the small, private dojo was already busy. Two fighters engaged in a playful yet dangerous dance in the center of the floor. The smaller of the two usually taking the defensive, flipping and spinning out of the way, while the larger tried again and again to bring the other down. Destroying the air of danger and drama was the small chat the two were having.

Kagome dodged a roundhouse kick. "San, you aren't helping."

Sango lashed an arm out at the other's side. Blocked. "All I'm saying is," backhand swipe, sidestep. "Your dad seems to like him," sweep kick, back-handspring. "Kouga wasn't out to kill him," annoyed growl complete with drawn katana. "You fell asleep in his car," sais drawn in response. "And he didn't try anything!"

Kagome twirled the small three-pronged daggers in her hands. "Next you'll tell me to date him," she muttered, raising the weapons to block the overhead strike.

"I never said anything about dating him," side kick, slight growl.

"That wasn't fair, San," the sais were again flipped, this time into an offensive position. The sai in her right hand was inverted, the blade angled back at her, reaching slightly past her elbow, the sai in her left was held with the blade out. Her right arm was arched above her head, her left was at her side, elbow at a ninety degree angle outward.

Sango grinned, "Ooh, I've pissed you off now, eh?"

Her answer came in the form of a forward swipe. Sango blocked it with the katana, only to have to dodge another strike, this one downward. While she dodged, Sango felt, rather than saw, her katana become trapped in the prongs of the first sai. A quick twist and she was effectively disarmed.

"Now _that_ wasn't fair," Sango pouted. "I went easy on you!"

"Remind me never, _ever_, to piss either of you off," the amused male voice came from the side.

"Hey, Kouga," Sango smiled warmly. "Long time, no see. How are you?"

"Fine," Kouga grinned. "What the hell are you two doing fighting this early in the morning anyway?"

"She," Sango pointed to Kagome, who was standing off to the side, going through a series of defenses, "wanted to talk, and I needed to wake up. So here we are."

"And what was this little talk about?" he turned to Kagome expectantly. The woman didn't answer.

She did, however, continue her sequence with perhaps more gusto than needed.

"Oh, nothing," Sango had a slight smirk on her face.

"Right," Kouga narrowed his eyes slightly. "Kago, you're telling me everything at lunch."

The only response he received was a barely perceptible nod.

Kouga smiled and shook his head. Turning back to Sango, he said, "Well, I'm gonna go find your old man. See ya later."

Kagome stopped moving about five seconds after the door closed. "So, what do I do?"

Sango smiled gently, "Tell him. He'll probably understand."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then I'll beat the shit out of him until he does."

Kagome smiled, "You're coming with me."

"Wouldn't miss it."

* * *

"You know," his back remained turned. "Knocking is generally an accepted form of announcing your presence."

Kagome sighed dramatically. "Curse you and your hearing."

He snorted in response.

"Do you spend every Prep like this?" she cocked her head to the side, awaiting his answer.

"No."

"Sango! My darling!"

_SLAP_ "Pervert," was Sango's answer.

"Oi! Lech!" Inuyasha snapped. "Over here where I can see you."

"Yes, Master," violet eyes sparkled with mischief. "Would you like fries with that Master?"

His comment was ignored.

"We need to talk," two voices sounded.

"Step into my office," a cheeky grin and waved hand accompanied the words.

A shocked gasp escaped her lips, "But, are you sure there's room enough for me _and_ your ego?"

Sango smiled. This was going well so far. No injuries.

Well…

"I swear, if you don't move that hand, I'm going to remove it."

"I'm sorry, my dear. It has a mind of its own."

"Save it."

"I give them two months," Kagome observed wryly.

"Feh, more like six," Inuyasha snorted. "And that's if she doesn't kill him first."

"Kill him, no."

"_Pervert_!" _SMACK_

"Maim him, most likely," Kagome amended.

"You wanted to talk?" Inuyasha prodded.

"Yeah," she sat on the desk, facing him. "Look, I'm sorry I flipped out on you. You had every right to be concerned. But really, there's nothing to worry-"

"I know."

"You what?"

"I know," he grinned broadly. "Talked with your dad. He told me everything."

Her eyes narrowed, "Oh, did he now?"

"Well, almost everything," he cocked his head. "What's up with the long sleeves, anyway?"

"So," she quickly changed the subject. "That's what you wanted to tell me?"

"No, it's not," he quirked an eyebrow at her. "And don't think I didn't notice that."

"Notice what?" Kagome feigned innocence.

He studied her for a moment before deciding to let it slide. "Anyway. Miroku, get over here."

He pointed towards Sango. "Manager?"

Kagome nodded, confused.

"You too," Inuyasha waved the brunette over. "Get over here."

Sango fixed him with a skeptical stare before moving to stand by Kagome.

"Now, on to business," he leaned back in his chair, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. "Nazo Records is prepared to offer a deal. Unfortunately, no one, other than myself, knows to whom."

"As their contact," Miroku took over, only to be cut off by Inuyasha.

"You mean as my brother's 'go-fer'," he snorted.

"Semantics," the dark-haired lech smiled. "We are supposed to ask formally if 'The Siren' would be interested in a contract."

WHAP This time it was Kagome at the receiving end of Sango's temper.

"You told _them_!"

"They figured it out!" Kagome defended, rubbing the back of her head.

"Oh. Sorry then."

"No problem."

"Ladies," Miroku seemed calm as ever. "Sesshomaru will have our heads if we don't get an answer."

"When can we meet with Sesshomaru?" Sango was confident.

Kagome, on the other hand, wasn't so sure, "San, music?"

"Crap."

"Exactly."

"What's the problem?" Miroku looked between the two.

"Well," Sango looked slightly sheepish.

Kagome sighed. "Name one of 'The Siren's songs," she ordered.

"Wishmaster," he shook his head, confused. "Why?"

"Section?"

"Uh," he blinked several times. "Second verse?"

"Very well," Kagome raised her hands.

A quick chord progression sounded. Her wrist dropped and a tempo began.

"_Oh Silvara  
__Oh Starbreeze_"

As she held the note, the synth joined the mix. The next section was sung quickly, her peculiar way of saying 'realms' bringing a slight smirk to Miroku's face.

"_Sla-Mori the one known only by him  
__To august realms, the sorcery within  
__When you hear the call of arcane lore  
__Your world shall rest on earth no more_"

The impromptu concert ended when she dropped her hands.

"Need I say more?"

"Show-off," Sango muttered good-naturedly.

Miroku exchanged glances with Inuyasha, who currently looked mildly annoyed. "Would you mind 'playing' the first guitar break?"

Kagome arched an eyebrow, but complied. A fast, seemingly Irish-influenced riff filled the room.

Inuyasha watched her left hand, making note of the chord progression. When she finished, he stood, grabbed his guitar case, and moved towards an amp.

"Would someone care to explain to me the point of all this?" Sango asked, fixing a glare on Miroku.

The sound of another guitar answered her. A quick riff, almost the twin of the other, began.

Sango turned to the sound. Inuyasha had taken out his own guitar and was mimicking the melody Kagome had played.

"Show-off," Miroku echoed Sango's earlier sentiment.

"Alright," Sango conceded. "That takes care of guitars. But we need more than that…"

Kagome turned to Miroku, a slight grin on her face, "You're a drummer, aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged."

"Style?"

"Double-kick bass."

Kagome's grin turned full-fledged, "I could hug you right now."

"I wouldn't recommend it," Inuyasha rejoined the group. "Now, get the hell outta my room. I have a class coming in."

"Meeting?" Sango reminded.

He half-sighed/half-growled. "Tomorrow, noon, diner across from the museum?"

"Done."

"Good," he smiled. Then turned serious. "Now. Out."

* * *

"You are aware-"

"That you're supposed to meet Rin here in thirty minutes," Inuyasha finished. "I know."

"Here they come," Miroku announced.

Sango reached the table first. Holding a hand out to Sesshomaru, she said, "Sango Shinsetsu."

Somewhat surprised, Sesshomaru shook the woman's hand, "Sesshomaru Mamoru," he ignored his half-brother's snicker. "And your client is?"

"Right here," Kagome stepped out from behind Sango.

Sesshomaru hesitated, surprised again. Inuyasha and Miroku high-fived behind him.

Recovering quickly, the youkai opened his briefcase. "Let's begin, shall we?"

He removed a manila folder and opened it. Placing several pages in front of the now seated women, he spoke, "We are willing to offer a two album 'trial' contract. You will be given free reign artistically, with the stipulation that each album contain at least ten tracks. There is no timetable currently set for recording and release.

"Shortly before the release of the first album, there will be a small tour. This will both promote the album and test audience response.

"The contract may be extended at any time, but may not be terminated before fulfilled."

Not looking up from the pages, Kagome asked, "And how many singles would the company be expecting to be released from each album?"

"As many as you would wish. At least one per album. If feasible, there would be one video per album as well. Now, if you'd excuse me," he rose fluidly and moved to the front of the diner.

"It seems safe enough," Sango announced. "The only thing I'm not sure of is this 'tour' bit. Who'd buy tickets to see an artist they've never heard of?"

"We'd probably be opening for another artist," Kagome shrugged. "I wouldn't have a problem with it."

Simultaneously, Inuyasha and Miroku snickered.

"Ah, my darling Rin," Inuyasha gave a mocking imitation of his brother's voice. "I've missed you so."

"But Sesshie-poo," Miroku added in a falsetto. "You know Rin could never stay away from you!"

Kagome and Sango turned to find the ever-stoic youkai embracing a vibrant young woman.

"Darling," Inuyasha again. "I have an image to maintain."

"Rin knows," Miroku. "No one will know that you sleep with a teddy bear."

"Amused, are we?" Sesshomaru's annoyed voice questioned.

"Yeah," two unapologetic voices answered.

Kagome rolled her eyes and pulled out her notebook. She glanced over at Miroku, tilted her head, and began to write.

"_A merry minstrel with his fingers fast  
__Playing his lute, charming every lass  
__Joins the troop with a glitter in his eye  
_'_Shall I find fame or will I die?'"_

She looked at the stanza for a moment before adding to the page.

"_Led by a maid – Queen of the Night  
__Voice of angels, such a divine sight  
__An Amazon to fight and cure  
__This reality with her feline lure"_

The image of Sango holding her two-tailed fire cat Kirara brought a smile to Kagome's face.

Pencil met paper again.

"_Born to the false world, the wanderer  
__Storyteller, the pied piper  
__On a quest for immortality  
__Gathering a troop to find the fantasy"_

Kagome read over the three stanzas, decided she'd arrange them later, and then continued to write, oblivious to her surroundings.

"_Nightquest, quest not for the past  
__But for tomorrow, to make it last  
__Simply the best way to walk this life  
__Hand in hand with the dreamers' minds  
_

_Enter the realm, don't stay awake  
__The dreams remain, they only break  
__Forget the task, enjoy the ride  
__And follow us into the night"_

"Hey," a warm voice broke into her haze.

Looking up, she saw bright honey-brown eyes. Kagome smiled slightly, "Hi."

"You must be Kagome," the woman smiled guilelessly. "I'm Rin."

"It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," she held out a black portfolio. "Would you mind terribly? These guys are too flattering. I'd like an honest opinion."

"No, I don't mind," Kagome accepted the portfolio and, in return, offered her notebook. "Would _you_ mind? Personally, I think they're crap, but they aren't finished yet, so there might be hope."

"I don't mind at all," the warm smile grew as the woman accepted the notebook.

"Um, Kagome?" Sango broke in. "Business talk?"

Kagome bit her lip. "Could you take care of it for a while?" she asked, reluctant to let go of the portfolio.

"Alright," Sango sighed, leaving her friend to her little bonding ritual.

Rin was waiting patiently for Kagome's opinion on her work. She wouldn't have to wait long.

Kagome opened the portfolio and a small gasp left her.

The picture was a pencil sketch. A small boy in ratty clothes knelt on an outcropping of rock. His face was upturned, arms stretched in front of him, towards the sky. On the lake before him, a swan floated while a line of the birds flew off toward the horizon. Off in the distance, a pine forest overlooked the scene.

"It's beautiful," she turned admiring eyes to the woman next to her. "Really, the detail is amazing."

"You mean it?" at Kagome's nod, Rin smiled brilliantly. "Thank you."

Kagome returned the smile.

"You don't mind if I look at these?" Rin asked quietly.

"Go ahead."

Rin opened the notebook and scanned a few pages.

"These are lyrics?" she asked after a moment.

"Yeah," Kagome rubbed the back of her neck, sheepish.

Rin paused for a second. "They're refreshing," she said finally.

At Kagome's confused look, she continued, "It isn't the 'I love you' pop drivel you hear so much of, and the darker pieces aren't the 'I want to die so I'll just kill myself' crap pseudo-goth bands do."

"Wow," Kagome grinned. "Thanks."

"I just have a couple of questions," she flipped between a few pages.

"Alright," Kagome nodded slightly. "Shoot."

" 'The nightwish I sent you centuries ago…' " Rin quoted. "What's a 'nightwish'?"

"It's a term my father and I use," Kagome smiled softly. "You make your greatest wish on the night itself and always remember it, and, eventually, you'll find it comes true."

" 'All hail the Oceanborn', what is that?"

"Keep in mind that I'm really, _really_ weird," Kagome sighed. "To me, all life begins in the ocean, and, when we die, we return to the ocean."

"Damnit," Inuyasha put in. "Now I'm a fish."

"Oh, hush you," Rin laughed. "Next question: What's an ocean soul?"

" 'The oceans are as alone as I' " Inuyasha quoted.

Kagome turned to him, gaping. "You _read_ my wall?"

"You wouldn't let me go!" he pointed out.

"You didn't _have_ to carry me!" Kagome stammered.

"Would you just explain it already?" he was flustered now. "Unless you want a _certain song_ to be the first recording?"

Kagome's sudden blush surprised Sango. Nevertheless she explained the term.

"Alright," Kagome breathed out harshly, willing her flush to disappear. "People look at the surface of the ocean and think 'That's wonderful'; it's constant, it's always there. Underneath the surface, however, it's more complex than anyone thinks; it's another little, secluded world. It's turbulent, deep, dark. Alone, really.

"There are some people who, on the outside, appear to be in control, calm, peaceful, when really, inside, they're lonely, deep thinkers, they…" she paused for a moment, before spitting out, "Perkele! This is more difficult to explain than I thought. Ah, they're…At war…With themselves. _Kirota_. I'm confusing you. Olen-" her head dropped quickly, before she raised it again. "I'm…Sorry."

"You bilingual or somethin'?" Inuyasha looked thoroughly confused.

"Tri-lingual actually…" at his disbelieving look she added, "Weird family."

"Uh-huh," his lips didn't move.

"I'm kind of out of practice though," Kagome ducked her head slightly.

"In which language?" Rin shot Inuyasha a slightly amused glare.

"Japanese," Kagome smiled slightly. "Mother's side."

"And your father?"

"Full-blooded Finn," Kagome's smile widened. "He and Mum would have these little light-hearted arguments, then she would break off into Japanese, he would curse in Finnish. Picked up some interesting words that way."

Inuyasha snorted. "Like what?"

"Well, I just used two," the smile turned to a smirk. "'Perkele' and 'kirota'."

"Alright genius," he rolled his eyes. "And those mean?"

She pressed her lips together and mimed locking them.

"Very funny."

Rin, who had been giggling the entire time, finally said, "Is there anything else your father said?"

"Well, he does like to walk around saying 'You can't rollerskate in a buffalo herd'," in between Rin's peals of laughter, Kagome asked, "Did you have another question?"

"I did," Rin coughed, trying to control her laughter.

Kagome waited patiently for the other woman to calm down. After around thirty seconds, Rin was able to breathe normally again.

"Alright," Rin fanned her hands in front of her face for a couple seconds. "I may have to meet this father of yours," she breathed out, calming herself. "Now then, last question."

Kagome smiled indulgently.

"Could you sing one of these for me?" the woman suddenly looked like a child who had asked for a treat. "Only if you want to, I mean," she added hastily.

"Did you have one in mind?" Kagome asked gently.

"Umm," Rin bit her lip. "Not really."

"Would you like to pick one?" Kagome smiled. "Or were you going to let me decide?"

"The only thing I really care about is that it be a slower one," Rin shrugged. "Don't feel in the mood for a really fast one."

"I think I can find one," Kagome grinned, flipping through the notebook in Rin's hands.

"Don't look now," Miroku whispered to Inuyasha. "But I think your girlfriend has just passed the Rin Test."

In response, Inuyasha cuffed him upside the head.

Meanwhile, Kagome had stopped on a page, tapped her pencil quietly, added a couple lines, and grinned broadly. "Got one."

Sesshomaru, who had been mostly ignoring the chatter, suddenly broke in, "Are you sure that's wise?"

"It won't hurt anything," Kagome shrugged.

"I only meant that, with the," he paused for a second, unsure of how to word it, "competition, it might not be the most sensible thing."

Kagome smiled, "One: she wants to hear a song; two: I really don't think that, with a name like 'Nazo Records', you would allow for your business talks to be heard; three: there is almost no one here; four: I've already set up a slight shield," at his calculating look, Kagome fell back on referencing Alan Rickman. "I am not a 'dunderhead', Mr. Mamoru."

Sesshomaru glanced at Rin, who was wearing an expression that was a mix of her 'Please? Pleasepleaseplease?' look and her 'If you don't let her do this, I'll make sure everyone knows your nickname' glare. "As you wish," he waved his hand in clear dismissal.

"Thank you for your permission, Sesshomaru," she grinned slightly before adding, "-sama."

"Cheeky woman," Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at her before returning his attention to business.

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha curiously, "You know, I think you two are more alike than you think. You said that same thing...Well, you called me 'wench' but, eh."

"Would you prefer 'bitch'?" Inuyasha smirked.

"Not unless you like the name 'dogboy'," she smiled back.

"Whatever, just do the song," he growled slightly, before saying, almost as an afterthought, "Wench."

Kagome gave him a mock salute, "Yes sir."

Rin smiled brightly at her fiancé, 'Thank you,' she mouthed. The slight twitch of his lips was enough response.

"Let's see if I remember the melody to this sucker, shall we?" Kagome had a conspiratorial grin on her face.

Rin returned it, "We shall."

"I really don't have any music for this," the raven-haired woman looked apologetic.

"That's fine," Rin smiled gently.

"We'll kick you under the table if you screw up," Inuyasha promised, gesturing to himself and Miroku.

"I really do wish that you'd leave me out of this," Miroku sighed.

Kagome shook her head softly. Straightening in her seat, she cleared her throat lightly, took a breath, and began the song.

"_All those beautiful people  
__I want to have them  
__I want to have them all_"

Odd as the lyrics were, they seemed to fit the melody, which was a slow, almost dance-like, tune. She was staying in her middle range for the moment, occasionally dipping lower for emphasis.

"_All those porcelain models  
__If only I could-  
__If only I could make them fall_"

The last line had her moving into a somewhat higher key, which she seemed more comfortable in anyway.

"_Be my heart a well of love  
__Flowing free so far above_"

Rin watched, silent, as the woman began to lightly tap her fingers on her thigh, as if finding a tune on an imaginary keyboard.

A few tentative notes sounded as she sang the next verse, eyes closed, a wistful expression on her face. The verse had moved into the higher key, the vibrato coming through stronger.

"_A wintry eve once upon a tale  
__An Ugly Duckling lost in a verse  
__Of a sparrow's carol  
__Dreaming the stars_"

She paused for a moment to allow the slight piano melody to take over. It was simple, a few chords in a minor key. When the small bridge had ended, she moved back to the refrain.

"_Be my heart a well of love  
__Flowing free so far above_"

The next verse was stronger. Rin smiled sadly when the wistful expression left to make way for a somewhat lost look.

Her voice changed in accordance with her expression, becoming sad, longing.

"_In my world love is for poets  
__Never the famous balcony scene  
__Just a dying faith  
__On the Heaven's gate_"

While her fingers continued the slight melody, her wrist rose an fell in a slow 4/4 tempo. The next lines were sung in a steadily rising key, only to drop in the last words.

"_Crystal pond awaits the lorn  
__Tonight another morn for the lonely one is born_"

Rin had been wrong, and, by God, she'd never been so glad she was. She'd expected a Carly Simon/Stevie Nicks voice, not a Renée Fleming. The amount of emotion put into the singing made any flaws in the lyrics forgivable.

When she opened her mouth again, there were no words, merely a high, passionate vocalization that would be impossible without proper training.

She seemed to wilt at the end. Then, taking several deep breaths, she recovered and glared slightly at the notebook.

Rin smiled gently, then, impulsively, hugged the other woman. "Thank you," she murmured.

"You're welcome," Kagome's brow furrowed, then she began muttering something.

Soon, Sango was disguising a snicker.

"Alright," Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the two. "Spit it out. What's so amusing?"

"Kagome's inner monologue," Sango snorted.

"And just what the hell did you mean by 'you don't smell'!" Kagome exploded, obviously in the middle of a rant.

"I'm simply ecstatic that you think about me this much, Kagome," Inuyasha's infuriating smirk had returned.

"Don't play coy," Kagome snapped. "You suck at it. Now, what did you mean?"

"You don't smell," he spoke as if she were two. "You have no scent. Nothing. Nada. No odor, aroma, stink, ste-"

"I get it!" she cut him off abruptly. "Thank you."

"Would you care to fix it?" he drawled. "It kinda creeps me out."

Kagome rolled her eyes, then removed a simple silver bangle. The light aroma of jasmine, lavender, and annoyance reached his nose.

"Thank you."

"Whatever," she sighed. "So, Rin. When's the big day?"

Rin laughed lightly, Sesshomaru almost, but not quite, choked on a sip of water, Miroku and Inuyasha high-fived again.

"You two are so immature."

* * *

"Kagome please! You have to help me!" the voice on the other end of the line was desperate, nearly crying.

"Kikyou, I'll help, just tell me what's wrong," Kagome soothed, worried. Kikyou had never sounded this upset.

"I told him I'd pick Kanna up!" Kikyou wailed. "Now, I can't! Susan didn't come in today, so I have to cover! And now I can't get off to pick her up!"

"I can pick her up for you," Kagome smiled. Really, that was a lot better than she'd thought it was. "Just tell me where she is."

"She's with his sister," the older woman sniffled. "She lives at," there was a slight rustling as Kikyou searched for the address. "1836 Veris Lane."

"You're kidding me," Kagome whispered.

"I can give you directions," Kikyou still sounded desperate.

"No, it's fine," she was quick to reassure. "I know exactly where that is."

Hanging up, Kagome leaned back in the seat. "Unbelievable."

Sango glanced over at her. "What is?" she asked, grinning. "The record deal? The whole day? The fact that those two are still following us?" she paused, sticking a hand out the moon-roof to flip off the two in the SUV behind them.

"Kagura is Naraku's sister," Kagome sighed, then snickered when Inuyasha returned Sango's gesture with a cheery wave.

Sango raised an eyebrow at her. "You didn't know that?"

"No!" Kagome whined. "You did?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Augh! Why doesn't anyone tell me these things?" pouting, the raven-haired woman flipped on the radio.

"_How can I help it if I think you're funny when you're mad?  
__Tryin' hard not to smile, though I feel bad  
__I'm the kind of guy who laughs at a funeral  
__Can't understand what I mean?  
__Well, ya soon will _"

"I hate irony."

* * *

"So," Kouga was oddly quiet. "She won't talk, eh?"

"Yeah," Kagura stroked the girl's pale hair. "Stupid bit- woman."

"Her mother?"

"Um-hmm," Kanna continued to sleep in her aunt's lap. "He was so pissed. Divorced Kaguya right away."

"Wait," Kouga gaped at her. "Wasn't that that huge murder case a few years back? They thought her husband killed her but couldn't find anything to hold him on it?"

"Yes," Kagura snarled. "Four months later, page 12, teeny-tiny little paragraph, they declare it suicide."

There was a sudden pounding on the door. "Kagura! I know you're in there! You have some 'splainin' to do!"

"I'll get it," Kouga grinned, heading for the door.

Kagura smiled gently and looked down at her niece. "Looks like auntie's in trouble," she mumbled.

"Ow! Damnit!" Kouga yelped.

"Oh, shit!" Kagura could practically hear Kagome's wince, not to mention Sango's snort of laughter. "Kouga, I am so sorry!"

"If you were anyone else…" Kouga's voice was muffled.

"At least it isn't broken," it sounded more like a question.

1Kagura watched, amused, as Kouga stormed back into the room, holding his nose, followed by Kagome, who looked apologetic, and Sango, who was shaking with repressed laughter. "What's this 'splainin' I have to do?"

Kagome turned to the wind demoness, "Why didn't you tell me he was your brother?"

"Ah," Kagura grinned. "That. I wondered if you'd heard me."

The songstress's eyes narrowed, "And that would mean?"

"You were scribbling when I told you," Kagura's grin did not waver.

"Oh," she bit her lip. "Oops."

"Yeah, oops. Now, why are you here?"

"Kikyou kinda got tied up and needed someone to pick up Kanna," the words came out in a rush.

"So she called the Good Samaritan," Kagura teased gently.

"I thought I was the Babbler?" Kagome smiled.

"You are," Kouga touched his wounded nose gently, hissing in pain. "You're also trouble."

"Sorry about that," Kagome winced again.

The only response was a slight growl.

"So," Kagura glared at her boyfriend's back. "What's new with you?"

"Good, bad, or unbelievable?" Kagome asked, sinking into a chair.

"Let's start with the good."

"Music Comp final's lyrics are written out," Kagome shrugged. "I have about half of the choir noted, and about two minutes of the orchestra."

"How big is that thing going to be?"

"Depending on how long of a segue I give between sections, somewhere between 7 and 12 minutes."

Kouga stopped pouting long enough to raise an eyebrow at her. "One song?"

She nodded, "One song. But there's an entire orchestra in there, not to mention the choir. It seems really long, but, once everything is thrown together, it'll be alright."

"Ok," Kagura was trying to piece together reasons for ANY song to be that long. "How about the bad news?"

"That kinda ties in with the 'unbelievable' news," Kagome bit her lip.

"And that would be?" Kouga prodded, injured nose, and pride, forgotten.

"Well, ah," she paused. "You see...Er...That is... Sango?"

Sango glared playfully at her friend before saying, "What she means is, her alter ego is soon to be famous."

Kagura grinned broadly, Kouga looked from one woman to the other, confused, and Kanna continued to sleep.

"That means...?" the wolf demon was still confused.

"Nazo Records offered a deal."

Kagura's shriek of delight managed to wake her niece. The pale girl looked to her aunt, nudging her lightly with her shoulder. "Oh, sweetie," Kagura soothed. "Did I wake you up?"

Kanna gave her aunt a deadpan stare before signing rapidly. _No, Casper did. Who are all these people?_

"Sarcasm will get you no where," Kagura smiled. "And these are my friends."

_Lovely. Names please?_

Kagome smiled. "My name is Kagome, and this is Sango."

_How can she understand me?_

Kagura turned to the raven-haired girl and shrugged, "Care to explain?"

Signing as she spoke, Kagome answered, "My little brother was born deaf."

_Oh. I'm sorry._

"Don't be," Kagome smiled gently.

_I apologize for interrupting your conversation._

"Don't worry about it," Kagura soothed.

_You may continue if you wish. I won't interrupt again._

"Interrupt all you want," the girl's aunt smiled broadly.

When the small conversation had stopped Kagome continued. "So you know the good news and the unbelievable news. Now for the bad news."

"You didn't take the deal!" Kouga ventured.

"Not quite," Kagome bit her lip gently. "I need help with the music. I've got a couple 'friends' to take care of the guitars and the drums...I just need the keys and...Bass?"

She looked so unashamedly hopeful that Kouga almost jumped to agree. Then he decided to let her stew for a bit. "I don't know...I'm not sure I can forgive you for that whap on the nose..." her face fell and he grinned at her. "But a record deal is a good start."

_That was a bit cruel,_ Kanna signed to her aunt while Kagome ran to hug the wolf demon.

"Yeah, it was," Kagura acquiesced.

Kouga pulled back from the hug, raised a hand, and lifted one finger. "I'll do it, but on one condition," he tried desperately not to grin.

Kagome raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And that would be?"

The grin won out, "Diva Dance."

Kagome threw back her head and laughed, "I'll do it at that damned recital if you'll help me!"

"Fair enough."

_**

* * *

A/N2: Kouga is far too easy to bribe. The song Kagome is writing is called Nightquest and if you look at the lyrics, it's easy to translate into a medieval Inu fic…And, I just noticed this, the closest thing to Kag's voice I can find when she goes operatic is 'Passion and the Opera' towards the end… Beginning, if you have the edit version. Other close ones are: the Lucia di Lammermoor track off the Fifth Element soundtrack, or Renée Fleming's rendition of Handel's 'Dunque, i lacci sun volto…Ah! Crudel…' You can find snippets on Amazon.**_


	7. Chapter Six

**_Disclaimer: Let's go through this again, shall we? I don't own Inu & Co. Takahashi-san does. I don't own any of the arias mentioned...They're probably public domain. I don't own Murphy's law, I suppose that Murphy does. There's also a slight homage to Bill Engvall in here...I don't own that...I have no clue where the 'Impudence!' thing got started, but me no own..._**

**_A/N: Eh-heh...This took a little while to get out...But I have a reason! I had ten pages of it written and my damn comp ate the file! So I started over...I think it turned out alright. It's probably mostly filler...Fuelled by a couple of coca-cola's at around 2:00 AM. I like to think I did OK with the fight scene...Yes, fight scene. That surprised me too. If you disagree, let me know...For that matter, if you agree, or even if you don't care, let me know._**

* * *

"Kagome!" the sharp tone demanded attention. 

"Yes ma'am," the mild voice called from the back of the room.

"Handel, Semele, 'Oh sleep why dost thou leave me?'."

Kagome grimaced. Baroque. Not her favorite. Nevertheless she stood and went to collect the score.

As she approached Madame's desk, the woman gave her a reassuring smile. "You do very well in this style, dear, do not fear it."

Kagome bowed her head slightly and walked back to her seat.

"Monique!"

"Yeah?" the reply earned a snicker from Kagome and a raised eyebrow from Madame.

"Puccini, Gianni Schicchi, 'O mio babbino caro.'"

"Uh, all due respect Madame," Monique was halfway to the woman's desk. "But isn't that a bit high?"

"Were you expecting me to go easy on you with only two months left before your recital?" a small grin accompanied the words as she handed over the music.

Monique slumped and wandered back to her seat.

"Daphne!"

"Yes, Madame," Kagome and Monique mouthed along with the other woman.

"Catalani, La Wally, 'Ebben?...Ne andro lontana'."

The slightly heavy blond moved to collect her music. "Thank you, Madame."

"Move into your recital groups. You have the remaining hour to work on your programs."

A few seconds later, Monique dropped into the seat next to Kagome. "Can you believe that woman? She gave me a Puccini!"

Kagome waved her hand. "Handel."

"Oh, right," Monique smiled slightly. "So what's gonna be on the 'non-conformist' program?"

"I dug up music for those two I was telling you about, 'Angus' and 'Vocal Modesty'," Kagome pulled the manila folder containing the score out of her bag. "And Kouga's made a request."

"Oh boy," Monique grinned. "What is it this time?"

"Diva Dance."

"Yours," Monique's eyes widened.

Madame Cordon chose that moment to pass by their group. "Ah, yes," she smiled smugly. "My non-conformists. 'The Flower Duet' from Lakme should suit you two nicely."

Kagome quickly spoke before Monique had the chance. "Thank you, Madame."

"I've seen what you two are capable of, and I'm expecting a good program. Remember the scouts."

Kagome pasted on a smile. "Of course, Madame."

When Madame had moved on, Monique stuck her tongue out at the woman.

"Monique, ladies do not stick out their tongues," Madame never broke her stride.

"Agh!" Monique flopped back into her seat, huffed, and blew her bangs out of her face. "I wonder how Sal's doing."

"Probably better than you," Kagome smirked and dodged the swat Monique took at her.

* * *

Salvatore, also known as Sal, was waiting for them when class let out. When Monique and Kagome emerged, he quickly wrapped his arms around their shoulders, adopted his best puppy look and asked, "Food now?" 

Kagome smiled. "Yes, food now."

Sal grinned in response. "Did you ladies invite anyone I should know about?"

"No," Monique sighed.

"Ummm, yeah," Kagome mumbled.

"Guys?" Monique asked.

Kagome nodded.

"Cute?" Sal added.

Kagome's scarlet flush was the only answer.

Sal gasped. "You sex kitten, you!"

On the walk to the cafeteria, Monique and Sal managed to learn that Kagome had, in fact, invited two men, and that the two weren't exactly the best of friends. The latter was apparent when they arrived at the table to find the two in a glaring contest.

"Oooh," Monique squealed. "He's cute!"

"Nah," Sal waved his hand. "Kouga's still hotter."

The glare contest was abandoned when Kouga's face became panicked. Inuyasha gave him a sympathetic smile before turning to Kagome. "Is insanity a qualification for befriending you?"

"As much as it may seem that way," the woman sighed and moved away from her classmates, who were discussing the various pros and cons of each of the men. "No."

"Why didn't you warn me?" Kouga whined.

"Hush, he won't ask you out," Kagome smiled at him. "He's dating Kyle. Remember?"

Kouga visibly relaxed.

"Oh, come on!" Sal shouted indignantly. "You cannot possibly be trying to tell me that you think he has a better ass!"

"No," Monique craned her neck to check. "They're about even there. But he definitely wins in the eye department."

"I know you did not just dis my man's eyes," Sal assumed his best 'Diva' pose.

Inuyasha and Kouga looked torn between being flattered and terrified. Kagome's head thudded loudly onto the table. "Guys," she groaned.

"I didn't 'dis' his eyes," Monique tossed her hair. " I simply said I liked the other guy's better. And you cannot tell me that the ears don't add to the hotness factor."

"The ears are definitely tweakable," Sal conceded. "But still."

"Guys!" Kagome shouted, bringing their attention to her. "Shut up, would you?"

"Yes, mother," they chorused innocently, earning a half-hearted glare.

After they were seated, smiling so sweetly one could almost see halos, Kagome smiled at them. "Now, stop fighting over who's cuter, and eat your lunch."

"Of course, mother," Kagome's head met the table again.

"Honey," Sal clucked. "You should really stop that. You'll give yourself a migraine. Not to mention what it could do to your complexion. By the way, you're looking a bit dryer than usual. Remember, moisture is our friend. And your hair!" he squawked his disappointment. "Honestly, a little bit of mayo goes a long way! And avocado can work wonders!"

Kouga looked a bit afraid and Inuyasha smirked at him. "If you think he's bad, one…" He paused. "I take that back. Two of the label's stylists are much worse."

Kagome's other two friends perked up.

"Stylists?" Sal looked like a kid on Christmas.

"Label?" Monique turned to Kagome for an answer.

Kagome turned a withering 'I-Will-Set-You-Ablaze-Right-Now' glare on the hanyou.

"Aw," he grinned unrepentantly. "Did the big mean hanyou spoil Ickle Kaggie-kins' secret?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "One, yeah, you did. Two," she reached a hand out and flicked him on the nose, a pink trail of power following her hand. "If you ever call me 'Ickle Kaggie-kins' again, Dogboy, so help me god, I will personally make sure those ears of yours disappear."

"Ack!" Monique grabbed her friend in a tight hold. "Kagome! Take it back! Not the ears! You can't cut off the ears! Find something else!"

Kagome's eye developed a strange twitch.

"Like what?" Sal snorted. "Inu Junior?"

Kouga winced and Inuyasha crossed his legs reflexively.

"Of course not, moron!" Monique glared at him. "What if she wants to scre-"

The sentence was quickly cut off by Kagome's hand over her mouth. "Please, for the love of god and my remaining sanity, shut the hell up!"

"Fine by me," Sal said, with the air of someone who'd just won a battle of wits.

"Only if you promise not to cut off the ears," Monique pouted after removing the hand clamped over her mouth.

"I never said I'd cut them off, just that I'd make them disappear."

"Oh, well that's ok then."

"So, uh," Inuyasha suddenly seemed skittish. "Where'd you meet the psycho twins?"

"He's a tenor," Kagome sounded as though she'd given the explanation a million times. "She's a mezzo. Madame wanted us to do a trio. That fell through."

"Speaking of Madame," Sal turned to Monique. "I think she's become a sadist. She gave me a Puccini!"

"Me too," Monique complained.

"Oh hun, it could be worse," Sal comforted. "Gomes, toss over your sheet music, would you?"

Kagome rolled her eyes and did as he asked. "So," she addressed the two, somewhat sane, occupants of the table. "What's the plan?"

"Well," Kouga sighed. "We've been looking for someone, but, no luck... Sorry."

Kagome gave an 'I-was-afraid-of-that' look, then said, "Just call me when you find somebody...Anybody..."

"Oooh," Sal hissed. "Girl you need to have a serious talk with that woman. She's obviously out for you."

Kagome looked heavenward, shook her head, and sighed. "Yeah, I know, she gave me a Handel. Thanks for the news flash."

"Uh, no babe, she gave you the Mozart 'Magic Flute' aria."

Kouga winced in sympathy; Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Opera fan?"

The wolf demon shook his head. "I've heard tales."

Kagome had retrieved a pair of wire-rimmed glasses and was staring at the music in shock. "I'm going to kill her."

Monique patted her back in sympathy. "It's not that bad."

The hated sheet music was then flung onto the table. A series of notes well above high C and with very few rests could be seen.

"I take that back."

The raven-haired woman's head became reacquainted with the table, much to Sal's disappointment, and the other males' amusement.

Inuyasha tilted his head to read the music. "Huh, I didn't know anyone could sing that high."

Kouga was studying it also. "Yeah, they can, but I've heard Mozart was probably a bit nuts. I can't understand a word of this."

A hand quickly hit the back of his head. "It's in German, Kouga."

"Oh, no wonder."

* * *

Sango was beginning to wonder if Murphy would mind being resurrected so she could torture him. Her father had gotten a call about some 'feeling-feeders' as they were called, had grabbed Kohaku and headed out to face them. 

That was four hours ago.

"Pick up the damn phone!" the demon slayer growled in frustration.

There was a click and then a gentle 'hello'.

"Kagome?" Sango's father might swear up and down that the exterminators could handle anything thrown their way, but at the moment, Sango thought that someone able to completely eliminate the things would be best.

"Sango?" Kagome's tone became worried. "Are you crying? What's wrong?"

"Dad went out on a call," Sango wiped her eyes. "'Feeling-feeders'. Forest north of town. He left four hours ago and I've heard nothing since."

"I'll be there in thirty minutes," Kagome's voice had a sharp edge to it that Sango hardly ever heard. "I may be bringing back-up."

"I'll have your bow ready.

* * *

Kouga watched, worried, as Kagome disconnected the call and threw her phone into her satchel. She then began packing everything into the same bag. 

"What was that about?"

"Sango," she said curtly. "Emotion demons. Father went out on call. She hasn't heard back."

"You aren't going alone," Kouga stated, narrowing his eyes.

"If you want to tag along, fine," Kagome snapped, pulling her hair into a messy bun. "I don't have time to coddle an ego. It's been four hours. She's worried. I'm her back up."

Inuyasha turned to Monique and Sal. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, but I'm afraid we're going to have to cut this short," he stood and began walking to the parking lot, pulling out a phone while he walked.

"Where the hell are you going?" Kouga asked the hanyou.

"You coming or not?" he called back.

Kagome stood, hefted her satchel, and began to follow, muttering something about impulsive males.

"Yeah," Inuyasha had apparently gotten hold of whoever it was he'd called. "Look, I know it's your lunch break, but something came up. Could you go put something on the door? Yeah, the 'classes cancelled til further notice' thing. Yeah. No, I had nothing to do with the chocolate in Sess's room. Yeah, talk to you later."

When they reached the SUV, Inuyasha unlocked the vehicle, opened the back hatch and yanked a metal strongbox from under the seat. Opening it, he asked Kouga, "You use a weapon, Wolf?"

"Katana every once in a while," Kouga muttered in response.

Kagome rolled her eyes and jumped into the second row of seats. Deciding she needed some angry music, she grabbed her Walkman and put in her Sinergy/Tarot/Disturbed mix disc.

"Any special kind of katana?" the hanyou asked, rummaging through the various weapons in the strongbox. "Or just the standard 'pointy ended, sharp edged' one?"

"Anything you have would be fine."

Inuyasha quickly selected two blades, set them aside, then re-locked and replaced the strongbox.

"Here."

Kouga turned to see two swords being held in the hanyou's hands. One was in a new, barely used sheath, the other looked as if its 'better days' had come and gone a few hundred years ago. Rolling his eyes, Kouga reached for the battered katana, only to find it ripped out of his grasp and the new blade put in his hand.

"No one touches this one but me," Inuyasha explained, holding the beaten sword protectively. "Sess found that one out the hard way."

"If you're done with your male bonding ritual," Kagome snapped. "I'd like to get to Sango sometime today."

Inuyasha snorted but closed up the back. He climbed into the driver's seat and looked in the rearview mirror, waiting for Kouga to get settled.

"What are you listening to?" He asked the miko behind him.

"My Pissed Off list," she responded.

"Fork it over," he reached a hand back.

She glared at him by way of the rearview but handed over the disc. He promptly put it in the car's CD player.

"_Oh motherfucker  
__Won't you liberate your mind?_"

Inuyasha smirked. "Warn me if you see a cop."

Around fifteen minutes and eighteen or so traffic violations later, the SUV was parked at the edge of the forest. Kagome quickly climbed out of the vehicle and moved to join Sango, who was standing a few yards off.

"When you said you were bringing back up, you weren't kidding," Sango said humorlessly.

"They're tag-alongs," Kagome smiled at her, reassuring her. "It's here?"

"Yeah, maybe a couple hundred yards," Sango nodded.

"Weapon?"

"I have Hiraikotsu with me, and I brought your bow for you," an antique bow and a quiver of arrows were placed in her hand.

"Number?"

"It's a nest, so probably more than just a few."

Kagome cringed. "Backup weapons?"

"Thought you might want these," twin sais were handed over and quickly strapped to the other woman's thighs.

"Battle plan?"

"Go in, kill the bastards, find Dad and Kohaku, go home."

Kagome nodded sharply, turning to the two, oddly quiet men behind her, she announced, "This is Sango's territory. Her word is law. You disobey her word and I will personally purify your ass."

"Got it," they winced.

Sango smiled grimly before advising, "Don't let them touch you. The side effects aren't worth it." She moved off into the forest.

"Pain, torment, catatonia, etc., etc.," Inuyasha dead panned.

Kagome gave him a dry stare before following her best friend.

"Well," Inuyasha turned to Kouga. "I kinda feel like killing something. How about you?"

Kouga snorted and walked after the girls. Inuyasha grinned to himself, then made his way into the wood.

It wasn't too long before they found the first of the creatures. Nearly eight feet tall and skeletally thin, it wasn't a welcoming sight. His dull yellow-green skin was splotched a dim maroon. Long, tapered hands lead to thin, bony fingers that ended in wickedly sharp, three-inch claws. He stood with his back to them on the outskirts of a considerably large crowd, nearly fifty of his brethren already dead.

Sango and Kagome nodded to each other and slowed their pace so that they flanked the men. Then the small group fanned out, the women searching for the most strategic position for their weapons, the men looking for a way to distract the demons.

Shrugging, Inuyasha and Kouga began pushing their way through the crowd. After a few sarcastic 'excuse me's, 'pardon me's, and 'oh, damn, was that your foot?'s they had reached the center of the group and had their full attention. Almost four hundred murky green eyes glowered at them out of humanoid faces. Two very tired exterminators eyed the new arrivals, preparing their weapons to attack if need be.

Kagome drew an arrow and aimed for the demon in front of Kohaku.

"Who dares intrude on our territory?" a slow, raspy rumble inquired.

"Who? Us?" Kouga smiled dumbly. "We just wanted better seats."

"Leave," the voice ordered. "Before we are required to kill you."

"Hey," Inuyasha sounded like a teenybopper for some odd reason. "Did you do the voice for Dracula? Could I have your autograph?"

"Infidels!" the leader snapped. "If you value your life you will leave at once."

"Impudence!" Kouga suddenly shrieked. "That's impudence! You're speaking impudence to me!"

"Yeah," Inuyasha nodded. "He's kinda redundant too. Don't you have a better warning, y'know, something threatening?"

"Enough!" the now angry voice screamed. "Kill them."

"Ooh, that's better. Do it again!" Kagome rolled her eyes. Inuyasha was far too set on this taunting thing. She let her arrow fly.

Kohaku shielded his eyes as the creature in front of him exploded into a blast of white light. A second burst of light signaled the end of the demon in front of his father.

"Hey!" Kouga slashed through the neck of one of the creatures. "You promised we could have the first kill!"

"Hiraikotsu!" A gigantic bone boomerang erupted from the surrounding wood, slicing through ten of the monsters before curving back, wiping out another ten, and returning to its wielder.

Four more bursts of light erupted before Inuyasha chose to comment.

"Oi!" he yelled from the middle of a tightly packed group of the creatures. "We're supposed to wipe out at least twice the amount you guys do! You're maki-" he broke off and a muffled 'Get the fuck off me, would ya?' was heard, followed by a 'Soul Scattering Iron Claw!'.

Three of the creatures dissipated, howling in pain. Seven of the demons moved in to replace those lost.

"Goddamnit!" the hanyou seemed more annoyed than anything. "What part of 'get the fuck off me' don't you idiots understand? Fuck it. Wolf Breath! Get them outta the way!"

A very confused Kouga ran to the weakened exterminators and pulled them clear of the battle.

Seconds later, from the middle of the crush, there was a cry of 'Wound of Wind' followed by a downward strike. Nearly thirty of the 'feeling-feeders' fell to the lightning-like claws that ripped through the ground.

A now visible Inuyasha popped his neck, "Much better. As I was saying, you're making us look bad."

"Damnit!" Kagome screamed at him, taking aim at the demon preparing to attack him from behind. "Stop posturing and watch your back!"

When the flash of light came from over his shoulder, the hanyou spared her a quick glare. "Ditto!" he called.

The miko's hand wandered down to the dagger on her thigh as she turned. Five feet behind her was one of the creatures. Drawing the sai quickly, she flung it toward the demon. The blade struck in the center of the thing's forehead and it fell.

She immediately moved back to the demon's body, pulled the dagger out, purified the remains, and readied her bow.

Sango rolled her eyes. Those two were either going to be too busy screaming at each other to fight, or they were going to take out more than half the horde trying to outdo the other. She loosed Hiraikotsu again.

Inuyasha turned back from taking care of another of the pesky demons that tried to sneak up on him...Just in time to duck the huge bone apparatus as it flew over him.

"Watch where you throw that thing!"

"Had to shut you up somehow!" Sango yelled back.

"By trying to kill me!" he screamed incredulously.

"Would you watch your fucking back?" Kagome broke in, moving to take care of the creature herself.

The hanyou moved forward just as he felt claws rip into his back. He winced and thrust his sword behind him and upward, disemboweling the creature.

"Now that's just disgusting," the miko's voice was much nearer now. She'd abandoned her bow and decided to get 'up-close and personal.' Meaning she was going to cover his back, since he seemed unable to do it himself.

"Sorry, sweetheart," he muttered. "That's the game. Get your ass out of here."

"No," she insisted. One of the demons decided she'd be an easy target and moved towards her. Smiling grimly, she told the hanyou, "It's more interesting here."

"Whatever," he ducked another creature's claws and lashed out with the blade, cutting the demon's legs out from under it. "Just don't come crying to me when you break a nail."

Kagome sweep kicked the creature she was up against, successfully knocking it over. Grimacing, she slit the Emotion demon's throat. "Forget what I said earlier. THAT was disgusting."

Inuyasha peered over her shoulder. "Yeah, that shirt's gonna need dry cleaning."

Kouga, who had taken on the task of defending Sango's family, snorted a laugh. "Can we continue this battle of wits later? There's a leader we need to eliminate."

Inuyasha shook his head slightly, "Y'know, if this were anywhere else..."

Sango, having run out of big enough groups for Hiraikotsu, moved to help Kouga. "He does have a point."

"Great," Kagome executed a flip kick, catching the demon in front of her on the chin, stunning it. "Now you've boosted both their egos."

"These demons won't function without the leader," Sango amended. "We need to get rid of him."

"Yeah, well," Inuyasha quickly dispatched the creature in front of him. "I can't help it if the _leader_ is afraid to show his _ugly mug_ because he's a huge _chicken_!"

"You dare insult me?" The voice came from his left.

"I figured you were just _stupid enough_ for it to work. Now, who wants the honors?"

"You puny mortals," the voice snickered. "Thinking you can dispatch me. Thinking that I would fall to your weak meth-" The sai suddenly protruding from his throat cut off that sentence.

"Blustering idiots just piss me off," Kagome shook her head.

The remaining thirty Emotion demons surrounded their fallen leader, moaning piteously, making Inuyasha clamp his ears to his head and cringe. "Would someone shut them the fuck up?"

Kagome was holding her hands over her own ears. "As much as I'd love to purify the lot of them, I really want that sai back."

"I'll buy you a damn gold plated _set_!" Inuyasha screamed over the din. "Just shut them up!"

Kagome tentatively removed her hands from her ears. "I'll hold you to that."

A light pink glow surrounded her and she closed her eyes. After several seconds, she thrust her arms forward, fingertips pointing up, aiming for the now wailing demons. A concentrated pink stream of power followed down her arms and rushed at the horde. Several shrieks later, all that remained was dust.

Kagome exhaled and dropped into a sitting position. "Oh, that's gonna be herbs and Powerbars for a week," she placed her now aching head in her hands. "Ow."

"Uh," Inuyasha tried to ignore the ringing in his ears as he surveyed the damage. "Damn."

Sango quickly hugged both her father and her brother. "Thank god you're alright!"

The elder exterminator embraced his daughter, "I'm sorry we worried you. But thank you for coming. You've probably saved our lives."

In the meantime, Kagome was trying to will her headache away. Inuyasha crouched next to her on her right, Kouga on her left. She pointed to the hanyou. "This is all _your _fault."

"Yea," he agreed, confused. "My fault. Me evil. Cause pain. Right."

"Good, that's settled," she glared at him. "Shirt off."

Inuyasha's sudden impression of a fish caused Kouga to lose his balance. The wolf demon then proceeded to attempt to 'laugh his head off'.

"You pervert," Kagome scolded weakly. "Those gashes need to be cleaned."

"They're nothing," he eyed her uncertainly. "Are you sure you aren't delirious?"

"I'm fine," her glare returned. "If they're nothing, then why are they bleeding so much?"

"They're already healing."

"Don't care. Humor me."

"The shirt is not coming off," he stated bluntly.

Kouga turned to the family. "I think they're gonna be fine. You guys should head home, they may be here a while."

Sango rolled her eyes but nodded. "Do you need a ride?"

"My car's back at the Uni," Kouga shrugged. "It's kinda out of your way."

"No, really," Sango smiled. "It's the least I can do."

Kouga turned back to the still arguing pair.

"And if you'd been able to watch your back this never would have happened!" Kagome yelled, then moaned when her headache strengthened. "Kouga, go with Sango. If I end up purifying him, I don't want you caught in the crossfire."

Kouga took the hint and walked off with Sango and her family.

Kagome turned back to the silver-haired male in front of her. "Just take the damn shirt off so I can clean those and we can leave."

"The shirt ain't coming off wench," he moved to help her stand. "Let's just go back to the car. I've got Tylenol and crap in there and I can take you home."

"And you think that I'm just going to go along with that and let you bleed all over your interior, huh?" nonetheless, she allowed him to help her up.

Inuyasha winced when her arm went around his back. So he'd told a little fib and they hurt like hell. So what?

"I saw that," the miko said dryly.

"Ignore it," he ordered. "You're going home."

"Bastard."

"You flatter me."

* * *

Tony tried desperately not to look amused. The hanyou was back on his doorstep, again holding his sleeping daughter. Only this time, his silver hair, and his daughter's shirt, was matted with a green substance that Tony would rather not know the origin of, and a certain auburn-haired kit was chewing on his left ear and demanding to know what he'd done to his Momma. 

The hanyou's left eye ticked dangerously. "I didn't do anything," he snarled. "It's her own damn fault."

"What did you say?" the kit gnawed at the other ear now.

"She wore herself out," the response came from behind gritted teeth. "It's her own fault."

There was a pop and the kit became a large pink bubble. Now able to gnaw on both the hanyou's ears, Shippo did so with relish.

Tony lost it. He braced himself against the doorframe and howled with laughter. Inuyasha growled at him and he looked up, only to collapse back onto the doorframe when he saw the hanyou's face.

Ignoring the crazy people that occupied the house, Inuyasha pushed his way into the home, making sure that Shippo hit the doorway.

Tony picked up the wailing kit gently and, still chuckling, began to soothe him.

"She's gonna have a hell of a headache when she wakes up," the hanyou warned him, laying Kagome down gently on the couch.

"And you're going to have a hell of a backache," Tony noted.

Inuyasha stood, gingerly. "I'm fine."

"You're lucky she's asleep or you'd be knee deep in bandages and peroxide by now."

"I know," he grimaced.

The hanyou turned to go but paused when Kagome whimpered behind him. He waited a moment and was about to continue out when there was a thud and a mewl of pain. He looked to Tony and Shippo.

Tony looked puzzled, his head tilted to the side. Shippo looked like he was about to start laughing.

Curious now, he peered over his shoulder at the couch. A pair of sneakers attached to jean-clad legs were visible in the middle of the sofa.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and started to walk off.

"Stay," there was a sharp tug at his leg and he found himself face down on the floor.

He glared over his shoulder and found that, not only was Kagome still sound asleep, she had attached herself to his leg.

"I give up," he muttered. "I'm getting you a damn teddy bear."

* * *

The slamming of the front door caused the three in the library to look up sharply. 

"Damn woman..." The grumbling faded out for a moment. "Teddy bear..."

Inutaisho smothered laughter and looked to his elder son's longtime girlfriend. Her shoulders were shaking. His son looked mildly annoyed.

There was another slam of a door and the grumbling faded completely.

Rin smiled brightly. "Six months."

Inutaisho raised an eyebrow. "Given my son's attitude, I say a year."

Sesshomaru snorted. "No wager."

"Goddamnit!" There was a roar from an upstairs room. "That fuckin' stings!"

* * *

**_A/N2: Inu's quip about Dracula was brought on by Iced Earth's 'Burnt Offerings' (Awesome song) which has a soundbyte ('I was betrayed. Look what yourGod has done to me.') from the Gary Oldman movie 'Dracula' (Awesome movie).If you've heard it, then you pretty much know what the leader sounds like. And yeah, I used the literal translations for Inu's attacks...I like them better..._**

**_Yeah, it cut off a bit abruptly...But I really couldn't figure out how to relevantly continue it in this chap..._**

**_Ok...I'm begging...PLEASE REVIEW! The last chap I postedgot1 review.I'm eternally grateful to everyone who has ever reviewed anything I've written but I'm begging you, give me ideas for escapades, problems, little annoying habits that are bound to show up once the gang gets on a tourbus. Absolutely anything...If you can come upwith something I'll probably find someway to work it in here. Constructive criticism is always welcome, flames will be used to roast marshmallows, yadda yadda...Just please press the button?_**


	8. Chapter Seven

**_A/N: Gomen nasai! Pahoillaan oleva! I'm so sorry! I haven't updated in like two months! I've been a bit upset lately and I think some of it may have come out in the chapter. Yes, I have read the news involving Nightwish. No, I'm not deserting this fic._**

**_Disclaimer: Own nothing. Not Nightwish, not Inuyasha, not Eddie Izzard's 'mass murdering fuckhead' line. Nothing. Zippo. Zilch._**

_

* * *

Kagome looked around, or would have if she'd been able to move more than a millimeter. _

'_What's wrong with me? Why can't I move?'_

_She tried to focus on her surroundings. A bow was in her hand, an arrow notched, string pulled taut. In front of her, obviously wounded, was a white haired figure in ancient red robes. He was leaning heavily on the tree behind him._

'_Inuyasha? What's he doing here?'_

"_Shoot him," a voice whispered in her mind. "Kill him."_

'_What?' Kagome's breath left her. In response, the arrow was pulled back a fraction of an inch more._

'_Please, get away from me!' beads of sweat began to form on her brow._

"_Kill him!" the voice was annoyed, impatient._

'_No!' her grip on the arrow began to loosen. 'I won't! I can't!'_

_Her eyes focused again on the hanyou. He hadn't moved. He was watching her through hooded eyes; waiting for her next move. He seemed almost resigned._

"_Now!"_

"_No!" it came out as a whisper. The arrow dropped. 'Get him out of here, you dolt!'_

"_Inuyasha," her voice was a strained whisper. "Get away!"_

_His ear flicked in her direction._

"_Please," she tried again. "I have…no control…over my body!"_

_His head began to raise slowly._

_The pull entered her mind again. Her arm began to reach for the arrow. 'Damnit! Not now!' _

"_Stupid mortals," the voice was back. "No more delays. Kill him."_

_The arrow was inches from her grasp now. "I can't…stop," she was almost begging him now. "Run, before it's too late! Before I…"_

_He cut her off sharply, standing fully now, breathing heavily, a hand pressed against his left shoulder, "That's enough! I don't want to hear it!"_

_She looked at him, trying to will him to leave. 'Please, don't fight me. Not on this.'_

"_I'm sick of you and everyone else telling me to run! I'm not running!"_

_The control spell spiked suddenly, causing her to wince inwardly and his next words to be muffled slightly. "Not without you! I won't leave you behind!"_

_The arrow was nearly in her hand now and she fought to drop it. Her hand rebelled against her mind. 'I-' she nearly wept. 'I'm losing control again.'_

"_No," he murmured, watching her. "Not again."_

_She didn't have time to ponder that statement before the arrow was again notched and aimed. 'Inuyasha, no,' the stubborn bastard refused to move._

'_No,' the string was pulled taut._

'_No!' he didn't even flinch._

'_NO!' her hand let the arrow fly._

* * *

"No," a breathless gasp left her. She sat up. No trees, no clearing, no red-garbed hanyou. Just her room. 

'What if he's hurt? What if he's dead?'

As ridiculous as her thoughts were at the moment, they got her moving. The ruined shirt came off, the camisole underneath stayed, her slime encrusted pants were removed, pajama pants thrown on. She snatched a long-sleeved linen shirt from her closet and shrugged into it, not bothering with the buttons. She slipped on sandals and ran towards the door.

It was eight-o'clock. By the time she caught the bus and arrived at the school it would be nearly nine. He'd be there already, wouldn't he?

She made it to the high school without incident and proceeded to scramble for the studio. When she flung open the door, she immediately caught sight of the silver-haired man standing towards the rear of the room.

"You're alive," she panted out, leaning against the door.

"Uh, yeah, wench," Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "If you thought a couple of scratches would take me down, you were sorely mistaken.

Off to his left, Meryn Riley raised an eyebrow.

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" he would have expected her to recover by now. However her breathing was more labored and he could smell tears.

"Woman, what is wrong with you?" he refused to let worry creep into his tone. "You run all the way down here or something?" he started to turn. "You don't sound too- shit."

Her face was pale, her breathing was becoming thready, there was a fine sheen of sweat on her brow, tears were running down her face, and her eyes were unfocused. It was a miracle she was still standing…Or had been standing.

He vaulted several stunned students to reach her before she hit the ground. As soon as he caught her, she latched on to his shirt.

The hanyou would have made a crack about a teddy bear had he not noticed the blood staining her right sleeve. "Stupid bitch," he muttered. "Bet you didn't even notice it."

"I'll be back," he addressed the class. "And if any of you even think of screwin' around…" before he could finish the threat he was out the door.

Meryn smirked and craned her neck around the doorframe. The sub had decided not to bother with the stairs apparently. "He's gonna be gone for a while."

* * *

Aya's day had yet to improve since she'd been in a fender bender that morning. "I'm not going to hurt her," she deadpanned, glaring at the subconsciously growling hanyou. "I just need to tranq her so I can clean it." 

He eyed her distrustfully. The woman in his arms shuddered, then whimpered.

Aya quirked an eyebrow at him. "Unless you want her to get worse. I dunno, you look kinda comfortable."

His lips twitched slightly. She took that as a good sign and moved forward again. Instinctively, his grip tightened and a growl again left him.

"What is it with you inus?" Aya threw up her hands in frustration. "Mate's in danger, what do you do? Of course you can't let the doctor near them!"

His grip loosened around the word 'mate'. Aya rolled her eyes and quickly tranqed the young woman. His eyes narrowed in response.

"What? There was an opening. I took it," she smiled slightly. "Now, let me see that arm."

She reached for it and his grip tightened again. "There's enough of that tranquilizer for you, y'know."

He didn't respond, but he looked slightly amused.

"Ok," she fell back on her internship in the maternity ward. "All that's going to happen is that I'm going to clean the little cut she's got. That'll get rid of the poison, and hopefully this damn protective streak you're showing."

"And you really think I can get her to let go?"

Aya considered for a moment, "Maybe if I had a crowbar…"

He chuckled and gently, so as not to cut the woman with his claws, began to ease her hand open.

"Or you could just try that…"

The instant her hand released his shirt, the unconscious woman gripped his hand.

"Clingy little thing, isn't she," Aya remarked, unbuttoning the sleeve of the woman's shirt. As she rolled the sleeve up, a bit of black caught her eye. "That's pretty," the nurse remarked quietly, tracing the ink with her finger. "Wonder what it means."

"'Hope'," he offered no other explanation.

Aya smiled gently and continued moving the sleeve up. She quickly cleaned the small cut near the woman's shoulder, causing the hand gripping the man's to tighten.

Seconds later she announced, "All done. I'm going to check her over, just to be sure. You can leave if you want."

As soon as the word 'leave' left the nurse's lips, the young woman pulled herself closer to the hanyou.

"I think I'll stay, thanks," he said, dryly.

"I figured you'd say that," Aya gestured to the woman's other arm. "If you don't mind?"

* * *

Kagome's eyes snapped open. 'Where am I? Why are the walls pink?' She sat up slowly. 'I have to go yell at Madame. And make sure that hanyou hasn't gotten himself into trouble. And figure out where the hell my shirt went.' 

"Oooh," There was a motherly scolding tone from off to her left. "Don't sit up yet. You gave us quite a scare."

"Us?" her voice cracked slightly.

"Where'd you get 'em done?" that voice definitely wasn't a woman.

"Huh?" 'Great, Higurashi. You're real intelligent.'

"'Remember', 'Hope', some sort of code?" he was probably wearing that infuriating smirk again.

"No."

"Is she always this monosyllabic?" Aya questioned.

Kagome flopped back onto the pillow. "Shutup voices. You don't want me to get the Q-tip again do you?"

"Delusional, interesting," a new voice joined.

"When did Madame get into my head?" Kagome moaned. Deciding suffocation was better than insanity, she rolled over.

"That's a kickass tat Kags, design it yourself?"

"Monique! Out of my head!"

"I'm hurt," Monique pouted.

"Aww, I'm sure she meant nothing by it."

"Sal?" Kagome turned her head to look at where she assumed they'd be.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Sal waved.

'Damnit, they aren't just voices.' "What in the seven hells are you doing here?"

"You didn't show up for that little meeting thing," Monique explained. "So we decided to check the guitar studio. The little twerps are helpful when they want to be."

Kagome suddenly remembered her little checklist. "Dogboy?"

There was a snicker from Madame's corner.

"Yes, Kaggiekins?"

More snickering.

"You aren't in imminent danger are you?"

"No, that would be Thursday."

Madame smirked, "Boyfriend?"

"Bodyguard," Kagome corrected, glaring half-heartedly at the hanyou.

"Good," Madame nodded sharply. "You need someone to keep you out of trouble.

"He is trouble," Kagome folded the pillow over her head. "And don't think you aren't in trouble missy."

"Me?" Madame smiled innocently. "Whatever did I do?"

"'Der Hölle Rache kocht en mienem Herzen'," Kagome spat.

"It does? Really, what an interesting development."

The amused nurse began to hum the aria. Sal noticed and turned to her, "What's it mean?"

"'The revenge of hell boils in my heart', such a lovely little piece," Aya resumed her humming.

"I'll do Casta Diva if you want me to!" Kagome begged. "Just not that one! Please!"

"You will do what I assigned you and that is final."

"You assigned me 'Oh sleep'," Kagome pointed out.

"Yes, well," Madame racked her brains for an excuse. "If I'd announced Der Hölle the students would have assumed I was playing favorites."

"Or that you hated me," Kagome muttered.

"Nonsense," Madame waved her hand. "You know the 'Fresh Faces' company is putting on 'Die Zauberflöte' this year."

"Who is doing what?"

"You're auditioning and that is that," Madame snapped, causing Inuyasha to flinch. "If you don't think you're ready, I'll train you. Meet me at five," the imperial matron stormed out.

"Aaagh!" Kagome resumed trying to suffocate herself with the pillow. "I won't play that vengeful, conniving bitch!" she yelled into the somewhat flat object.

"And that's out of character, how?" the hanyou snatched the now airborne pillow before it hit his face.

"Really, Kags," Monique reasoned. "It's not that bad. Just two aria's and one quintet."

"And all in German!" Kagome whined. "It's impossible to sing in German without sounding like you're going to spit!"

"Not going to argue there," Sal acquiesced.

"Well, you have to admit," Monique's hands were on her hips now. "She's only trying to help."

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "What happened to 'the sadistic teacher gave me a Puccini'?"

"Oh, that," Monique smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah," Kagome smirked. "That."

"She switched it to a Purcell."

"Out!"

"Sheesh," Monique grumbled heading for the door. "It's not like I begged her, she just did it."

Kagome turned to glare at Sal, "Yours still a Puccini? Or did she give you a Purcell too?"

Sal smiled brightly, "Madam is still sadistic. But I'm gonna go now," he scampered out the door.

When he was out the door, Kagome pouted quietly at the two remaining.

Aya smiled gently. "I'd love to chat, but I have records to file," she was gone.

Kagome continued to pout, turning to the hanyou.

"Don't even give me that look," he raised an eyebrow at her. "And before you throw something at me again, I've got to make sure there's still a studio up there."

He stood and began walking for the door, before stopping and glancing over his shoulder at her, "I'm not going to ask 'why'. I'm not going to stand here and call you an idiot. I will tell you that if you ever do it again, I will kick your ass from here to the 16th century." Then, he too was out the door.

Kagome watched him leave before rolling onto her back. 'Downside: He knows. Upside: He won't be asking about the damn sleeves anymore.'

Her brow furrowed. 'Speaking of which…' "Where's my shirt?" she called to the nurse.

"It's being cleaned," Aya answered.

"Lovely," Kagome sighed and decided maybe a nap would help.

* * *

"Mom!" the half-scream caused Kagome to awaken. "They had nothing to do with this! Your legions of fanatics started this!" 

The young woman turned to glare at the disturbance, only to find a boy, who couldn't have been any older than 16, nose-to-nose with a woman who made the typically aloof Kikyou seem approachable.

"You will watch your tone, young man," the woman's voice was ice. "They are not 'fanatics' as you have termed them. They are merely concerned for you and are trying to help."

"By beating me up?" the boy was incredulous. Kagome sat up. "Call off your attack dogs, Mom. I'm not joining your cause."

"Listen to me," her tone was deceptively sweet. "You will do as I tell you. I have repeatedly told you that those little 'demon' friends of yours are no good. Their kind has caused nothing but trouble-"

Kagome couldn't help the snort that escaped her.

"Ah," the woman that Kagome had already decided to call 'uber-bitch' turned to face her. "We have an eavesdropper it would seem."

"It would seem," Kagome echoed coldly.

"Perhaps you can talk some sense into my son," the woman raised an eyebrow. "He simply won't listen to me. Perhaps a woman of your," she coughed delicately. "Position, will be able to convince him."

"Mom, shut up," the boy snarled, praying the other woman wouldn't understand the insinuation.

"Are you calling me a slut?" Kagome asked in a dead tone.

Uber-bitch smiled politely. "Given your state of attire, I wonder what else you would have me call you."

"Demon-lover would be about right," the boy cringed as the second woman took on a flippant tone.

Aya, familiar with Ms. Winslow's campaign, slapped her forehead.

"Demon-lover?" Winslow arched an eyebrow. "You are aware that those…Creatures…And their kind make up for half of the country's crime."

"Oh, damn," Kagome looked thoughtful. "And I suppose the sewer rats make up the other half?"

"They are lower than sewer rats!" the woman suddenly screeched. "They are foul, debase. They have no respect for the sanctity of marriage! They steal, lie, cheat-"

"And I can point you to over a hundred full-blooded humans who fit the same description," Kagome glared at the ranting woman.

"All of those humans must have been corrupted by demons," the woman, having retained a semblance of composure, sniffed. "There's no other explanation. Once we get rid of all of them and their foul breed, especially the half-bloods, everything will be perfect."

Kagome shook her head. "Hitler would have loved you," she murmured.

"You dare compare me to that mass-murdering psychopath?" Winslow laughed coldly.

"He was a mass-murdering fuckhead, I'll grant you that," Kagome said without humor. "But, what you're suggesting is genocide. I don't see any difference between the two of you."

"What I am suggesting is an extermination of a pest that has overstayed its welcome," she smiled placatingly. "You would do well to look over your history text again."

"Hitler blamed all of his country's problems on the Jews, Romani, homosexuals, and anyone who didn't fit his description of a human being," the college student stated bluntly. "You're doing the exact same thing."

"You poor, deluded child," the older woman clicked her tongue against her teeth. "Take a closer look at your little 'demon' friends. What you find may surprise you." She turned back to her son, clearly finished with the conversation.

Kagome glowered at the back of the woman's head. "Jawohl, mein Fuhrer," she remarked coldly.

Whipping back around, the fuming mother marched forward until she was inches from the raven-haired student. "Listen to me, you little demon-whore," she seethed. "The entire race is flawed. Untouchable. By associating with them, you have debased yourself until you are nothing more that a speck of dirt. You, and all of them, have no place in a civilized society."

The woman took a step back, heading for the door. "Whore yourself out to them. You serve no other purpose."

The door slammed shut.

"Better a demon's whore than prejudiced bitch deluded by self-righteousness," Kagome whispered to no one.

"You really shouldn't have argued with her," the boy muttered from his seat by the door. "She'll be on the warpath all day."

"You live with that-" Kagome broke off before she cursed again.

"Dear old Mom," he laughed harshly. "I'm the black sheep, of course."

"Good for you."

"Michael," Aya said quietly. "I'm going to call your father, alright?"

"Go ahead," Michael waved dismissively. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I am," Kagome climbed out of bed. "One of the Mamoru's is bound to have a prep."

"The elder one does, I think," Aya told her, already dialing the boy's father.

"Thanks," the younger woman smiled gratefully. She then turned to Michael. "C'mon, I want you to meet a friend of mine."

The boy turned to the nurse for permission. She smiled gently and waved him off.

Once out the door, Kagome began nearly marching for the History classroom. "You'll like Mr. Mamoru," she told the boy. "He's pretty cool."

"I think I've seen him around," Michael answered dismissively.

They reached the door and Kagome knocked quietly, not wanting to interrupt in case he had a class.

The door opened and the History professor smiled kindly. "Kagome, come in. We were just talking about an interesting conversation we overheard."

"We?" Kagome smiled, ushering Michael into the classroom.

"What the hell are you doing out of bed, wench?"

"That answers that question," the woman rolled her eyes.

"Who are you guys?" Michael asked.

"I'm Mr. Mamoru," Inutaisho introduced. "This lovely lady," he gestured to a corner, "is Rin. The foul-mouthed one is my son, Inuyasha. And the Ice King over there is my other son, Sesshomaru."

"Sorry to interrupt the family reunion," Kagome went and sat by Rin. "Just really needed to get out of there."

"Ms. Winslow is rather overbearing," Sesshomaru conceded.

"She's a bitch," Inuyasha and Michael corrected.

"How long has she been doing that?" Kagome asked, intrigued.

"Every time she shows up here she tries to convert someone," Inutaisho shrugged. "I don't think she's won anyone over yet."

"I wonder why," Rin remarked, dryly.

"That was, though, by far the most unsettled I've heard her," the professor smiled. "Good job."

"Yeah," the hanyou smirked. "The Hitler thing was a nice touch."

Kagome looked between the two, confused. "How can you be so, so… blasé about this? In case you haven't noticed, there's a sect out there that would be perfectly fine with initiating another Holocaust to get rid of you!"

"Yeah, caught that," Michael watched interested as 'the foul-mouthed one' stared out of a window while answering. "They tried it fifty years ago too. Nothing new."

"And what?" she was fuming and near tears. Not good. "You're fine with it? You…Expect it?"

"No," Inuyasha snapped. "There's just no point in trying to convince morons that they're wrong! They'll rant and rave for a while, maybe kill a few! Then they'll shut up. Thirty, forty years later, someone will think they're being original and they'll start it up again. It's a cycle."

"So fight back!" she exploded, moving forward and shoving a finger into his chest. "They do it because they know you won't do a goddamn thing! But if you fight-"

"They'll what?" Michael flinched at the anger in his tone. "Back off? I've got news for you babe. If we fight back, even if we don't injure anyone, they'll twist it, call us bloodthirsty savages. They've been doing it for over 500 years, they ain't gonna stop now."

"You have just as much of a right to live as they do," she hissed. "The only reason they're afraid is because you're different. They need to get the hell over it!"

"You know it, and I know it," he smiled grimly. "But it ain't gonna happen."

Rin, who had watched the scene play out with an odd sense of fascination, gave Inutaisho a half-hearted glare when he asked, "How's Jinenji nowadays?"

Apparently having forgot there were other people in the room, the two turned, wide-eyed, to look at him.

"I-I don't know," Kagome confessed. "I haven't talked to him in months. Last I heard he was working for a psychology degree to become a counselor."

"And his mother?" Rin's glare became slightly more heated and Sesshomaru inched away from her.

"She died, five months ago. There was an attack on their home. Why?"

"Just curious," he smiled nervously at his elder son's girlfriend and quickly began filing graded papers.

"So you guys are demons, huh?" Michael studied the three.

"Yeah," Inuyasha muttered.

"Mostly," Sesshomaru corrected.

"What the hell was that supposed to mean?" the younger brother was immediately defensive.

"In case you have not noticed, little brother," Sesshomaru hid a smirk, feigning boredom. "There are two human females in our ranks."

"Here they go again," Rin muttered as Kagome moved to sit next to her.

"They always arguing?" the other woman asked.

"No," Rin smiled. "Sometimes they bicker."

"You son of a-"Inuyasha broke off, considering. "Damnit. Can't even use that one on you."

"Oh, look," Sesshomaru smiled condescendingly. "It can think."

"Yeah, 'it' can," Inuyasha retorted. "'It' is also five seconds away from kicking your sorry ass."

Michael sat down on the other side of Rin. "They're a bit…" he searched for the right word.

"Juvenile?" Kagome supplied.

"Quirky?" Rin threw out.

Inutaisho calmly continued to file papers. "Boys, if you're going to kill each other, do it outside. The janitors just cleaned this room."

"Sorry," the two looked appropriately chagrined and moved to opposite sides of the room.

"Bipolar," Michael concluded.

"You sayin' I'm nuts?" Inuyasha snarled from his corner.

"Down boy," Kagome laughed. "When you two go from allies, to combatants, to…" she paused, "house pets in a matter of minutes, what else do you expect the kid to think?"

"I'm not crazy," the snarl was gone, replaced by a slight pout.

"I'm not too high up on the sanity scale myself," she gestured to her left wrist.

"Now who's being blasé?" he grinned.

"And there _they_ go," Rin muttered.

"Hey, I'm over it," Kagome's smile was a bit strained.

Papers forgotten, Inutaisho leaned against the file cabinet, a bit confused.

"And that's why you hide?"

While everyone else looked confused, Kagome became defensive. "Just because I'm over it doesn't mean I'm proud."

"Then why'd you do it?" he prodded, leaning against a wall.

"What is it with you and questions?" Kagome exploded. "First the bruise, then the sleeves, now this? Lay off, would you?"

"Alright," he raised his hands. "Fine, I'll back off."

It was quiet for a moment, then he asked. "Why the tattoos?"

"Augh!" She glared at him. "Curiosity and the cat, remember?"

"Not a cat," he waved dismissively. "Why the tats? Got bored? Needed a change? What?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "More like, 'needed a pain fix and someone hid the blades', alright?"

"All I needed to know," he resumed staring out the window.

Kagome dropped her head into her hands. "I'm gonna kill him. One of these days…"

"Yep," Rin said, hollowly. "Know the feeling."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened marginally and his fiancée quickly added, "The 'gonna kill him' thing. Not the pain thing."

Sesshomaru subtly began checking the exits and looking for weapons.

"Lighten up, Sess," his brother snorted. "If she goes psycho, I won't tell her where you hid."

"_I_ wouldn't tell _you_," Sesshomaru pointed out.

"Ouch."

* * *

"You're late," Sango sing-songed as Kagome walked in. 

"Bite me," the other woman snapped.

"Bad day?"

A glare was her only answer.

"You're up tonight, you know," Sango grinned broadly.

"Perfect," Kagome groaned, picking up a tray and pad. "Madame's gone Marquis de Sade, the guys are raving lunatics, I have a meeting with the label tomorrow, and Tero's flying in three days from now! Any other little tidbits to make the week worse?"

"We have no set list, you're ad libbing."

"Remind me to yell at Tyson."

* * *

"Hi!" Kagome smiled brightly. "Welcome to Tyson's. I'm Kagome and I'll be your server this evening." 

"She's about to strangle someone, isn't she?" Miroku smiled falsely, watching the waitress flit from table to table.

"She's seconds away," Sango confirmed. "Which is why I'm taking over your table for the evening.

"Why, my dearest Sango," Miroku's smile turned disarming. "What a pleasure-"

"Stow it!" the waitress snapped. "Order your drink, or shut your mouth.

Sesshomaru smiled slightly as Rin giggled. This little get-together had been her idea. The nitwits had been brought along for entertainment.

So far they were serving their purpose.

* * *

"We're going to do things a little differently, here, tonight," Kagome began, the accent drawing out the vowels. "I have no program." 

There was a small chorus of 'awww's as some of the patrons noted their disappointment.

"However," she smiled slightly. "I do have an audience. Is there anyone here celebrating something? An engagement, maybe?" she looked to Sesshomaru and Rin. "Or an anniversary?"

A hand was raised in the right corner and she turned. "Really? What are you celebrating?"

The reply was somewhat muffled but she was able to make it out, "A honeymoon?" She laughed. "Then what on earth are you doing here?"

There was a smattering of laughter and the bride blushed.

"I'm sorry," Kagome shook her head softly. "What do you want to hear?"

The reply was almost instantaneous. "Walking in the Air."

The hooded figure nodded and a soft piano melody started. When she began to sing, her voice was light, airy.

_We're walking in the air  
We're floating in a moonlit sky  
The people far below  
Are sleeping as we fly_

The slow, swaying tune caused several couples to stand and slow dance at their tables.

_I'm holding very tight_  
_I'm riding in a midnight blue  
__I'm finding I can fly  
__So high above with you_

She paused for a moment and a flute played a small scale, the keyboard suddenly relegated to intermittent chords. When the flute had finished, drums began to add a subtle 4/4 rhythm. Her vocals returned with a bit more power behind them now.

_Far across the world_  
_The villages go by like dreams  
__The rivers and the hills  
__The forests and the streams_

Kagome never noticed when she started to sway in time. She closed her eyes and allowed the music to take over. This one was easily her favorite.

_Children gaze open mouthed_  
_Taken by surprise  
__Nobody down below believes their eyes_

Inuyasha glanced around, making note of the various lighters and cell phones being waved.

Rin rested her head lightly on Sesshomaru's shoulder. This had definitely been a good idea.

_We're surfing in the air  
__We're swimming in a frozen sky  
__We're drifting over ice  
__Mountains floating by_

Instead of the flute providing the break, Kagome vocalized it herself. In her mind's eye she could see a single feather, floating on an updraft. Given the slight gasps from a few in the crowd, she guessed that what she had pictured had emerged in the form of an illusion.

She wasn't wrong. Upwards of forty shimmering, pale feathers seemed to dance around the room.

Rin smiled broadly. A very good idea indeed.

Suddenly swooping low on an ocean deep 

_We're rousing up a mighty monster from its sleep_

She held the note, but tapered off as the guitar came in, playing a slow, wailing solo. The guitar ended, echoing slightly, and those who knew the song by heart began clapping a quick rhythm, which the drums soon took up. The synth, sounding more like strings, joined in.

_We're walking in the air_  
_We're floating in a midnight sky  
__And everyone who sees us greets us as we fly_

The smile on her face grew as she sang.

I'm holding very- holding very tight I'm riding in a midnight blue I'm finding I can fly so high above 

She paused to take a breath before nearly belting out the final words.

_With you_

The drums, synth, and guitar continued for a close-out. The synth was simply repeated, melodic chords, the guitar was quick low-end work, and the drums added small counter-beats. The tempo began to slow before ending the song.

There was applause, catcalls, and even a few whistles, but everything went silent when she raised her hand. "Any other special occasions I should know about?"

The show continued without a hitch, until a man, who had apparently had a bit too much to drink, decided that he was going to unmask the singer.

Kagome saw him coming. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sango and a somewhat hesitant Hojo prepare to defend her. She held out a hand to stay them.

The man leapt onto the small stage and Kagome barely had time to concentrate on a glamour before he ripped back the hood.

His eyes grew wide and he backed away, fearful. "Marie?" his voice trembled.

Kagome smiled tremblingly and, thankful the charm had worked, held out a hand to him. Immediately he was sobbing onto her shoulder, murmuring teary 'I'm so sorry's.

She said nothing for a moment, trying to calm him. Hearing a murmured 'what the fuck?' from table six, she began to wonder if the charm had worked like she hoped.

It had.

Inuyasha was blatantly staring as a doppelganger of his mother comforted the unknown man. 'Izayoi' gave him a soft smile, and began to gently stroke the man's hair.

Without music, she began to sing, her voice low and gentle.

_Sleep Eden, sleep_  
_My fallen son_

Her voice was trembling as she continued to hold the man, trying to absorb his pain.

_Slumber in peace_  
_Cease the pain_

Rin watched the woman, who looked like her long-dead friend, soothe the broken man and tried to stop her tears. Instantly, Sesshomaru pulled her into his arms and she closed her eyes, resting her head on his chest.

_Life just in vain  
For us to gain  
Nothing but all the same_

A soft piano played a mournful melody. When she began to sing again, light, staccato chimes accented her words.

_No healing hand  
For your disease  
Drinking scorn like water  
Cascading with my tears_

The man's knees buckled and she slowly sank to the floor with him. Resting his head on her chest, she sifted through the turmoil coming off of him, crooning all the while.

_Beneath the candle bed  
__Two saddened angels  
__In heaven, in death_

Different memories began to flash through her head; a woman screaming into her face, the same woman weeping, a different woman with tears in her eyes, holding out her hand, 'Mama, what's a half-breed?', the first woman on a hospital bed, tubes springing from her frail body, a coffin-

_Now let us lie  
__Sad we lived, sad we die_

-two words echoed in two different voices, 'My fault.'

Kagome shook her head, trying to clear the words. Her voice trembled on the next lines. She stroked the man's face lightly, trying to make herself understood.

_Even in your pride  
__I never blamed you_

The man dropped his head and held her tighter. Knowing exactly who the other 'voice' was, Kagome glanced sadly at table six, locking gazes with a suddenly withdrawn hanyou.

_A mother's love  
Is a sacrifice_

Sesshomaru followed the woman's eyes, and decided to leave his brother alone. There was nothing he could do to change his mind. Inuyasha would most likely always feel guilty.

_Together sleeping_  
_Keeping it all  
__Keeping it all_

Knowing that she hadn't been heard nearly broke Kagome's heart. Tears slipped past her lashes as the guitar played a mournful solo.

Sango watched silently as her friend seemed to age ten years over the course of the song. She decided that, as soon as Kagome was off stage, she was sending her home.

Kagome closed her eyes and began to sing again, her voice openly shaking.

_No sympathy  
__No eternity_

Suddenly, small pinpoints of shimmering light filled the stage. The tears on her cheeks seemed to crystallize before floating off her face and hovering.

_One light for each undeserved tear_

The vocalization that followed was at the same time powerful and fragile, she was close to breaking and her voice showed it.

The music stopped suddenly and she closed the song a capella, still refusing to open her eyes.

_Beneath the candle bed  
__Two souls with everything yet to be said_

The light on stage went out, a murmured 'I'm sorry' was heard and when the lights came back up, the man was alone.

* * *

Back in the small room, Naraku remained silent as the two women went about the post-show ritual. Kagome seemed to be 'shell-shocked' as some would call it, barely moving. 

Finally, Sango hugged her friend, saying, "Go home, we'll cover," and nodded to him.

Naraku stepped forward slightly, unsure of how to begin the conversation.

"Miss Higurashi-" he started.

"Don't," she cut him off, her voice still quavering. "That reminds me of the psychs. You know you can call me Kagome."

He nodded slightly. "Kagome," he amended. "My sister informed me that you were in need of a keyboardist," his inflection caused it to become a question.

"I am."

"I'd like to help," he said quietly.

"And what would you be asking for in return?" she was beginning to fidget. It wasn't that she was afraid of him, she was simply feeling especially vulnerable right now.

"I only ask for some of your time," he chuckled. "I sound like a Jane Austen movie. All I want is an interview. On –air or pre-recorded, your choice. You don't have to say your name, and we can tweak your voice…" he trailed off, feeling a bit unsure. "I'd understand if you didn't want to, I mean the whole secre-"

"I'll do it," she turned to him and smiled slightly. "Just give me a date, time and address."

He nodded. "I'll give it to Kagura."

* * *

**_A/N: Naraku and Kagome aren't going to be all 'fluff-tastic', he's the best fit for the part. As to that 'Tero' character I mentioned, he'll be interesting...And about Ms. Winslow, you may begin the witchhunt now..._**

**_Until next time, please review, even to say that this was nothing but exposition and that I should die for even posting such crap. I just kinda want to know that somebody's reading...It's been one of those weeks._**


	9. Chapter Eight

**_Disclaimer: I. Own. Nothing._**

**_A/N:Tero is Kagome's cousin on her dad's side. He lives with the rest of the Vuorinen family in Finland, works at Spinefarm, and is taking some time off to annoy his cousin. He calls her 'Seija' (Say-yah) because, one, it's her middle name, two, it's easier for him to pronounce. _**

* * *

"You look different," the hanyou noted. "Did you grow a few inches finally?"

"Blame the shoes," was her quick answer.

"I don't think my brother's underlings merit," he glanced at the shoes again. "Three inch heels."

"They shouldn't," Kagome agreed. "I just feel better when I'm taller."

"They don't merit make-up either," he drawled.

"Are you going to let me in?" she smiled up at him. "Or are we going to play 'Extreme Makeover'?"

He stepped aside, but shushed her. "Don't say that phrase! The walls have ears."

"Why would the walls care if I said 'Extreme Makeover'?"

There was a gasp from a hallway to the right. "Did someone say 'Extreme Makeover'! I love that show!"

Inuyasha winced, then glared at her, "I was never here." He disappeared down a different corridor.

There was a clicking of heels and a very effeminate man appeared in the threshold. "Now, where did Inu-kins go? I thought I heard him," the man trailed off. "Oh well."

Kagome tried not to stare. The man was wearing burgundy lipstick with two dark blue triangles of eye shadow that made him look like a cross between a mime and a clown. And he was coming closer.

He gave her an appraising look that reminded her of Dr. Frank-n-Furter and continued walking forward, "Well, what do we have here? You must be the 3 o'clock."

Kagome nodded, "If you could just show me where the conference room is, I'd-"

"Aw, Hun, say no more," he clucked. "Jakky's gonna show you whatever you need. But first, Darling, you _need_ a better jacket. If you're meeting with M and J, you want to look _fab_-u-lous," he practically squealed the word.

"No, thanks," Kagome inched away nervously. "This one's fine."

'Jakky' pouted. "Well, if you're sure," he smiled brightly. "Right this way!"

Kagome watched him walk off. "It takes a very secure man to walk like that."

* * *

The first thing she noticed was that these two probably belonged in a law-firm. The second thing she noticed was that there was an intercom conveniently located behind them.

"Miss Higurashi," the first began. He was broad-shouldered and looked very annoyed with her already. "You are here so that we can go over your 'contract' with Nazo."

The second spoke up, a sharp-featured woman, her hair in a severe bun. "Despite what Mr. Mamoru may have told you, _we_ are the final say in this deal. We will look at some of your material-"

"Your personality-" the man added.

"And your appearance in order to assess your commercial possibility," the woman finished. "Now, we may begin."

* * *

"You just _had_ to give her those two, didn't you?" Inuyasha joined his brother in watching the meeting.

"If she survives them, she can survive the press," Sesshomaru waved a hand. "Think of it as preparation."

Inuyasha shrugged. "You want popcorn?"

"Strangely enough, yes."

* * *

"How would you describe your material?" the one Kagome had decided to call 'Lilah' asked.

"It's a bit hard to describe," Kagome began, wondering how to phrase it.

"Try," snapped 'Butch'.

Pursing her lips, Kagome thought for a moment. "Melodic metal with a female voice," she decided.

Butch snorted, "And you think that's marketable because?"

Kagome froze.

* * *

"Damn," Inuyasha snapped. "I hate it when he asks that one."

"Patience," Sesshomaru grabbed a handful of popcorn. "Patience.

* * *

"It's a simple question," Lilah goaded.

Kagome gave her a deadpan glance. "And I was about to answer it."

"By all means," Butch waved a hand.

"It's marketable because it's an angle almost no one has tried," she glared at the man.

"What do you call Evanescence?" Lilah threw out.

"Goth-Rock-Lite," Kagome answered immediately.

* * *

"Kagome two, M and J, one," Inuyasha tallied.

* * *

"So you'll be screaming over guitars," Butch shrugged. "So what?"

"I do believe I said _melodic_ metal," Kagome sighed.

"And the difference would be?" Lilah smirked.

"Iced Earth: Standard American metal, loud guitars, strong male voice, screaming, what have you," she gestured vaguely. "Kamelot: melodic metal, harmonized guitar and keys, smoother vocals, occasional symphonic elements. Are you getting all of this, sweetheart, or do I need to repeat myself?"

"I think we got it," Butch narrowed his eyes.

"And just what, in your opinion, would possibly make you different from the legions of female 'rockers' out now?" Lilah cut in.

"Name some of these 'rockers'," Kagome intoned.

"Amy Lee," Butch huffed.

"Vibrato," Kagome retorted.

"Christina Aguilera," Lilah smirked.

"I write my own music," Kagome furrowed her brows. "And I said 'rockers', not 'bubblegum pop girls'."

"Avril Lavigne," Butch grinned.

Kagome's head dropped. "I can hit High C without straining. '_Rockers_' people!"

"Bonnie Tyler," Lilah was frowning now.

"Better," Kagome nodded. "Clearer voice."

"Whitney Houston," Butch looked proud of himself. The two women simultaneously raised eyebrows. Somewhere else in the building, one brother coughed, another laughed.

"No cocaine," Kagome answered slowly. "Can we move on?"

* * *

The two brothers continued to watch the interview as the two execs asked stream after stream of pointless questions and Kagome became more and more frustrated with them.

"They ought to segue into a break before too long," Sesshomaru noted.

"And how do you think they'll do that?" Inuyasha pouted at the nearly empty popcorn bowl.

"Hopefully without violence."

* * *

"Well, Miss Higurashi," Lilah closed her notebook and lowered her glasses. "From what we've seen, you're calm-"

Again they did the 'twin' thing. "Charismatic-"

"At ease-"

"Charming-"

"And you probably have one hell of a stage presence," Lilah concluded.

"Er," Kagome looked skeptical. "Thanks?"

"The only thing left to work on now is your image," Lilah looked positively evil.

"It does need work," Butch agreed.

"How so?" Kagome was seconds away from bolting for the door.

"I'm thinking," Lilah tilted her head, before grinning broadly. "Leather."

"Skirt," Butch added.

"Mini?" Lilah turned to him.

"Micro," he affirmed.

"Halter."

"Greys."

"Hair?"

"Blue."

"Highlights?"

"Green."

* * *

"Three," Inuyasha began counting down. "Two, one."

* * *

Kagome sputtered. "Hold it!"

They turned to her innocently. "What?"

"You have to admit, darling," Lilah smiled condescendingly. "It needs work."

"No," Kagome shook her head. "I'm not playing 'Gothique! Barbie' to compete with the Amy Lee's! I'm not playing 'Slut! Barbie' to compete with the Britney's and Paris's! In fact, I'm not playing 'Barbie' period! And I sure as _hell_ am not turning my hair into a Jackson Pollack so _you two_ can get your jollies!"

"Unwilling to change for the good of the music," Lilah's notebook was open again.

"Bullshit!" Kagome stood and slammed her fists on the table. "Are you two trying to attract fans or rapists?"

"There's no law saying they aren't one and the same," Butch shrugged.

"A _fan _doesn't care what the band wears," Kagome seethed. "A _fan_ is there because the _music_ affected them somehow. And if you two can't see past the dollar signs to recognize that, I don't know why you're in this business!"

The execs rose. "We'll let you calm down before we continue this."

Kagome glared at them, "Why don't you-" she clenched her teeth before seemingly relaxing, smiling coldly and waving. "Veda kateeni."

"You too," Butch nodded then followed Lilah out the door.

The singer dropped into her chair as soon as the door shut. Reaching into her handbag, she fished out her cell. She dialed a number and sat back.

"Speak," a male voice answered.

"Tero?" Kagome asked hesitantly.

"Seija?" Tero was probably grinning ear to ear. "Why are you calling?"

"I think I blew it, Tero," her head dropped into her palm.

"Aww, it's not so bad," her cousin soothed. "What could you possibly say?"

"'Veda kateeni,'" she answered miserably.

"Oh," he was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, you fucked up there."

"Tero," she whined. "How do I fix it?"

"Honestly?" there was a sigh. "Grovel. Grovel, grovel, grovel."

"No Broadway for a month when you get here," the woman muttered.

"You'll forget that after a few Blue Angels," he laughed.

"Nothing doing, Caveman," Kagome smiled.

"I won't tell if you won't."

"Tero," she warned.

"Aww," he was probably pouting. "Seija? Please?"

"No, Tero."

"Kirota," he swore.

"I'm hanging up, Tero," Kagome shook her head at his antics.

Tero responded by blowing a raspberry and beginning to sing, "I like to be in America, Ok by me in America!"

Kagome disconnected the call, dropped the phone, put her head in her hands, and began to laugh. "What am I going to do with you?" she asked no one.

* * *

"What? Are they just going to leave her there?"

Sesshomaru turned to his brother. "I don't pretend to understand them."

* * *

After a short period of nothing but twiddling thumbs, Kagome was a bit annoyed to find that there was no clock in the room. Sighing, bored, she again reached into her bag, this time for her Music Comp final.

Spreading her work in front of her, she began working on the music, humming as she went. Several times, she found herself humming 'America' and had to erase the last few notes.

When she got to a point where she could logically stop, she did. Then her phone rang.

"Aw, crap," picking the phone back up she answered the call. "Hello, you have reached Happy Dales Hospital. This patient is out for the moment, if you'd like to leave a message, buy her an answering machine."

"You hooker," a laughing voice reached her ears.

"Kagura," she smiled. "Hey."

* * *

"Mr. Mamoru," Josephine poked her head into the room. "You're very hard to track down."

"Thank you," Sesshomaru moved his attention from the monitor.

"Yeah," Michael could be heard from right outside the door. "D'you teleport around here or something?"

"Was there a point to this?" Inuyasha rested his head on the back of his chair before idly turning the chair from side to side.

"We're sending in the Kotsu's," Josephine smiled. "They've been bored."

"Hmmm," Sesshomaru nodded.

"No 'leather micro-mini's' though," Inuyasha continued half-spinning. "She might kill someone."

"Leather's Jakotsu's area," Sesshomaru supplied. "Warn him."

"Will do," the two were gone.

* * *

Kagome finished writing down the address Kagura had given her. "Next Friday, two o'clock?"

"Yeah," Kagura affirmed.

The door clicked open.

"I've gotta go," Kagome said hurriedly. "Tell him I'll be there."

"Got it," Kagura hung up.

Kagome turned her phone off and slipped it back in her bag.

"Darling!"

'Oh, no,' Kagome's head met the wood of the table.

"Oh, poor thing," the effeminate voice cooed. "She's falling asleep."

A slightly more sensible voice said, "I believe you startled her, Jakotsu."

"Oh, shut-up, Banky," Jakotsu snapped.

"Would both of you kindly move out of the doorway?" this voice was quiet, restrained.

Kagome raised her head.

"Thank you," the third voice said. There were footsteps and a large briefcase was placed in front of her. Opening the briefcase, the man spoke.

"We were sent to work on your image," one large leather-bound notebook was placed on the table. "Michael and Josephine already briefed us on your opinion of leather mini-skirts-"

"Which is totally bogus, by the way," Jakotsu broke in.

"If you like them so much, you wear them," Kagome muttered.

* * *

"What do you think she'd say if she knew he does?" Inuyasha stage-whispered to his brother.

* * *

"Um, ew. I really did not need to know that."

* * *

"There's your answer," Sesshomaru flicked a kernel of popcorn at his brother.

* * *

"Moving on," the sane one in the room rolled his eyes. "Unlike most people, we prefer to base the style of the band on the music."

"That's a good way to do it," Kagome nodded. "Goes for continuity."

"Quite," he smiled. "At any rate, we'll need a sample of your music before we can design the wardrobe."

"I don't have any recordings," Kagome shrugged. "Sorry."

"Lyrics might help," 'Banky' pointed out.

"I think I can do one better than that," Kagome grinned, reaching into her bag again.

"Ooh," Jakotsu rolled his eyes. "We've got a regular Mary Poppins here!"

In response, Kagome dropped a rather thick folder on the table. "It probably won't ever make it on an album, but it oughta work."

"I'm sorry," Jakotsu snapped. "I don't speak music-ese. A translation?"

"Music Composition," Kagome spoke slowly. "Final. Orchestra. Chorus. Must write music. Understand now?"

Jakotsu huffed, 'Banky' nodded, the third man picked up the folder. Leafing through the pages, he spoke. "Rather ornate, isn't it?"

"I'm trying to pass the class," Kagome smiled wryly. "But I don't really want to be a run-of-the-mill Classical composer."

"So you have to completely blow them away?"

"The ones doing the grading are a bunch of 'experts in the art of composition'," she snorted. "Unless they get Zimmer or Pip Williams, I won't be impressed."

"It isn't finished?" 'Banky' asked.

"Can't pass the class if you don't finish the final," Jakotsu chirruped.

"It's not due for almost three months."

"Damn you and your overachieving kind!" 'Banky' snapped good-naturedly.

"Children, settle down," the calm one closed the folder and replaced it on the table. "Lyrically, we're looking at something dark."

He began searching for something in the briefcase, muttering to himself, "Where did that ruddy thing get to now? I swear, it must have legs…Ha! There you are!"

"And I thought you were the sane one," Kagome smiled.

"I don't think anyone can be sane in this building," Jakotsu shook his head.

* * *

"I take offense to that," Sesshomaru pointed at the monitor.

"Get over it, Sess," Inuyasha was spinning in the chair again. "You're nuts and we know it."

* * *

The dark haired studio-exec glanced around. No one familiar.

"I spend half -day on a plane and my cousin can't even be at the airport on time," Tero grumbled, waiting by the curb.

"I heard that."

"It's true," he turned to glare playfully at her. "I've been standing here for all this time."

Kagome pouted at him for a moment, then sniffed and turned away from him, "Then I guess you just don't want to meet the guys…"

"Shut up, Seija, and help me with my luggage."

* * *

"Let me guess," Tero gave his cousin an odd look, before continuing in Finnish. "Your drummer?"

Inuyasha's ear flicked. He couldn't understand a damn word they were saying. "English please?"

The lanky man grinned childishly. "Hello," his accent was reminiscent of 'The Siren's. "My name is Tero. Hurt Seija and die."

Kagome swatted her cousin on his arm, "Ignore him."

"Who the hell's 'Seija'?" the hanyou looked between the two.

Tero faked a shocked gasp and Kagome rolled her eyes. "Who is Seija? Seija is only the _best_ female vocalist in the world!"

Miroku reached the doorway to the room just in time to hear the beginning of the man's rant. Amused, he watched Inuyasha try to look annoyed while Kagome turned some very interesting shades of red.

"Seija Vuorinen is a goddess!" the man nearly shrieked.

"Alrighty then," Inuyasha looked slightly afraid of the foreigner now. "I'm going to go…Tune the guitar," he hurried to his corner.

"Mama Vuorinen would approve," the new arrival nudged Kagome.

"Thanks, Caveman," Miroku could swear Kagome's face invented a new shade of scarlet. "I need to hide now."

Miroku decided it was as good a time as any to announce his presence. "Nonsense! He's only being honest."

The singer let out a weak chuckle and scampered from the room.

Tero thrust out a hand, "You must be the drummer."

Miroku and Tero quickly began talking about their backgrounds in music, occasionally throwing out a question to Inuyasha who, pretending to be ignoring them, would grunt in response.

"He's the ego of the group," Miroku told Tero.

"The guitarists always are," Tero smirked slightly. "So what's taking him so long to tune it?"

"It always takes him forever," Miroku shrugged. "I think he's bonding with it."

Even though he knew they were only trying to get him riled up, Inuyasha had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from snapping at them.

"He might be tone-deaf," there was an obvious laugh in the Finn's voice. "Maybe we should test him?"

"Tero!" a very annoyed shriek came from outside the room. "You are not going to use the Sonata Test on him!"

"Seija," Tero forced a grin. "Where'd you come from?"

"She's been right outside the door the whole time," Inuyasha muttered.

"It doesn't matter," Kagome waved a hand. "No tests!"

Miroku glanced over his shoulder at his friend. "Angeles," he mouthed.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Too easy," he mouthed back, grinning, already beginning a very fast Malagueña.

"I don't care about Spinefarm's standards!" Kagome rolled her eyes at her cousin. "You aren't-" She broke off.

Peering over her cousin's shoulder, she addressed the hanyou, "I think you've proved your point."

"Eh," Tero shrugged. "He's not horrible."

The woman's hands clenched into fists, "Just call me when the other two get here."

"Where're ya goin' now?" Inuyasha asked her back.

"To find someone sane!"

It was only five minutes before both Kouga and Naraku showed up. Apparently, they'd both gotten lost and had 'teamed up' to find the place.

After the new arrivals had been introduced, Tero turned to Inuyasha. "Alright, go fetch."

Kouga smothered a snort of laughter at the hanyou's glare.

"Why me?"

"One: You actually know your way around," the Finn smiled, obviously enjoying being a nuisance. "Two: You've been whining about that 'damn caterwauling'. I say you find out what it is."

As it turned out, the 'damn caterwauling' was, in operatic terms, a vocal warm-up. Evidently, Kagome had gotten bored being in a room by herself.

"We're all here, your majesty," he knew he'd startled her even without her sudden squeak. "So, if you don't mind, we'd like to get started."

* * *

Whatever Tero had been expecting from a practice, this wasn't it. The five chatted and bantered amiably for ten or fifteen minutes while tuning up, then they turned to the real reason for the event.

The all-important folder.

"Ten songs," Kagome stared at the folder on the table. "You'd think it'd be easy to pick."

"Lay 'em on the floor, spin around and point to one," Inuyasha suggested.

"Let's start with an opener," Miroku thumped the hanyou with a drumstick. "That one, Stargazers."

Kagome nodded and began writing a list in her notebook.

"And then?" Naraku questioned.

It was quiet for a while. No one really sure of what to suggest.

"That ballad," Inuyasha said suddenly.

"That's helpful," Kouga muttered.

"Which?" Kagome picked up several sheets of paper.

"The one you did for Rin."

The singer replaced all but one sheet. "There's still no music for it," she warned.

"Doesn't matter," he waved a hand. "We'll figure something out."

"Upbeat to ballad?" Tero threw out. "I'm not sure that will work."

"I never said to make it the second track," the hanyou said tightly. "Just put it on the album."

Tero stuck his tongue out at the guitarist. "What next?"

Again it was quiet.

Kagome spoke haltingly. "I have some new ones, but I'll need a male voice."

"Why?" Miroku waved a hand, gesturing for her to continue.

"Unless you want a female Devil and a female Pharoah," she pointed to two pages.

Kouga quickly snatched up both of them. He scanned the first, nodding occasionally before flipping to the second. His reaction was comically similar to Inuyasha's reaction to 10th Man Down.

"'Today I killed'?" the hanyou smirked.

Kouga shook his head mutely. He continued scanning before clearing his throat and reading from the paper. "'Who the hell are you for me? But a mortal dream to see? This apathetic life must drown, Forever just for me.'"

The wolf demon calmly reordered the papers, set them on the small table, then turned to Kagome, "What the _hell _were you on!"

The singer gave him a flat look, "Crack. Look, it was a freakish dream with an owl and-" she broke off. "And I just don't want to explain it right now, ok?"

"An owl, eh?" Miroku waggled an eyebrow.

* * *

The next week went by in a blur. Band practice, meetings with execs, extra lessons with Madam, outings, appearances as the Siren; everything flew by.

The good news was that the guys all got along pretty well. They'd bicker, naturally, but all of them were coming up with ideas and each of them could expand on the others' ideas.

At this rate, they'd be ready to record in two months. Tops.

Kagome fell onto her mattress. Another long, trying, and, ultimately, satisfying day was over. Rolling onto her side, she studied her wall. The paper Inuyasha had read was missing, replaced by the unfinished 'Gethsemane'.

The incomplete poem/song was one that she was very attached to. If she could only finish the thing she'd be set.

'Can't believe that jerk read my wall,' she rolled over. 'What? He can't just close his eyes? He has to read?…He has nice eyes….He'd probably be really damnhot if he'd just smile…' she blinked. ' The hell? Gah! Sleep! Now!'

Trying to force herself not to think, Kagome eventually fell asleep.

* * *

**_Uh-oh, her mind's running away with her... Meh, I know, this chap was really short and mostly filler but I needed to get it out of the way._**

**_Coming next chap: Tero's reaction to the Siren, the interview with Naraku, and Kagome butts heads with Tarja Turunen's worst fear..._**


	10. Chapter Nine

**_A/N: Eheh...Yeah, I'm kinda late...But the chap is a bit longer this time, I added a section to what I'd planned, so it kinda makes up for it...Right? Ok, to refresh, I mentioned Tarja Turunen's worst fear, the radio interview, and Tero goes to a Siren performance...Those are there...Also there: Kag's music comp teacher finds out what the heck she's been doing with that final, an entertainment reporter might just get the story of the month, Sess does something somewhat spontaneous, Tero finds out Kag isn't a morning person, the band goes in for preliminary recordings, and they meet their Devil and Pharaoh voice. Whoo- that's a lot of junk...Onward!_**

**_Disclaimer: Anything recognized as an entity, trademark, catchphrase, line from a comedian/movie/song, lyrics to a song, or embarassing name from tonight's ep of Inuyasha is hereby disclaimed._**

* * *

Monique was used to theatrics when it came to Kagome. However,_ this_ was definitely new. The other woman was moving her mouth frantically, trying to get any sound to come out.

Nothing.

"Maybe you should just let Madam know," Monique suggested.

Kagome arched an eyebrow at her friend. 'How exactly?' she questioned mutely.

The blue-haired mezzo rolled her eyes. "Oi! Madam!"

There was a very undignified groan from somewhere near the door. Moments later, Madam appeared. "You rang?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Monique grinned. "Squeaky here is having some trouble."

Kagome opened her mouth to protest the name, sure enough, what came out was a, more humorous than indignant, squeak.

"I see," Madam studied her for a moment. "I want you to rest your voice for three days. No speaking, no singing," she paused for a moment. "And absolutely no sex."

The nine girls around them immediately burst into laughter.

'Thanks, Madam,' Kagome mouthed sarcastically.

"No need to thank me," Madam had already turned around. "I suggest you take the rest of the day off. I'm sure your boyfriend misses you."

Kagome's only response was to stick out her tongue.

* * *

'Damn,' Kagome pouted. She was currently making her way to the guitar studio to 'tell' Inuyasha about the predicament she was in. She knocked on the door. 

Seconds later, Julissa opened it. "Oh, hey."

Kagome smiled, entering the room.

Inuyasha's ear twitched. There was someone new in the room. He could hear it. But there weren't any new scents. It was a bit unnerving.

Then it hit him. Sighing, he called, "Take it off, would ya?"

One of the more perverted students suddenly had a coughing fit.

Kagome complied with the 'request' and Inuyasha nodded his approval. "Better. Now why are you here?"

There was something that sounded like a cross between a squeak and a sigh behind him and he turned around. She was standing near the whiteboard, pouting, gesturing mutely towards it.

"I don't care," he shrugged, giving her permission.

She smiled briefly before writing in large, elegant script, 'Can't talk. Lost voice.'

His eyebrows rose. "Overworked?" he asked, smirking.

'Some use I am. Singer that can't bloody sing.'

"Could be worse," he shrugged, ignoring her raised brow and the students' curious twittering. "Coulda woke up mute."

'You jinx me, I kill you.'

"They so love each other," Meryn feigned dabbing away tears.

Both of the 'adults' gave her half-hearted glares.

"Anyway," the hanyou continued. "How long do you need to rest?"

'Madam de Sade says three days. "No talking, no singing, and no"' she stopped abruptly before erasing the last two words. 'Anyway, three days.'

"'And no' what?" he grinned broadly when she began to fidget.

'You don't want to know,' she wrote finally. 'Just drop it, Dogboy. Save your sanity.'

"You really think I'm sane?"

She looked a bit frightened. Quickly, she scratched out the 'your' and wrote above it 'my' before adding, 'You sounded like that Jakotsu weirdo.'

Inuyasha kept up the act, "Aw, honey, I'm flattered!"

"Pet names!" Meryn squealed. "They have pet names!"

'See what you started?' Kagome wrote, annoyed.

"Me?" he snorted. "You started it!"

* * *

It was oddly silent in the third floor studio when Miroku arrived. 

Then suddenly: "Full house!" Ok, that was Inuyasha…

"That's not possible!" And that was still Inuyasha.

Miroku opened the door quietly, "Is there something I should know, Inuyasha?"

"Yeah," the voice came from somewhere near the back of the studio. "Practice is cancelled for at least three days."

"Family problems?" Miroku asked sympathetically.

"No," the hanyou was most definitely smirking. "Shorty's finding out what happens when she talks too much."

"She kicks your ass at poker?" Miroku ventured, now able to see the pair.

A Royal Flush was sitting pretty in front of a very broadly grinning Kagome.

"That was a fluke," the cards were now being re-shuffled.

The singer stuck her tongue out in response.

"Don't stick that out unless you're prepared to use it," cards were dealt and the tongue disappeared.

The violet-eyed human grinned, "My friend, I think you've been around me too much."

After a few more games, the trio had agreed to play for stakes: the first to fold buys lunch. Miroku accepted the terms easily; he knew he had a good poker face, and, after playing with Inuyasha for years, he was pretty confident, both in his ability to read the other man and in his ability to mask his own tells.

'Five, two, seven, four, nine,' the hanyou looked up from his cards to find Kagome smirking at him. "What?"

The woman merely shook her head.

Twenty minutes later, her wallet was conspicuously lighter. Pouring vinaigrette over her salad, she glanced up at the two men, only to find them wearing identical expressions.

"Rabbit food," Inuyasha shuddered.

Miroku nodded his agreement.

She smiled brightly and took a bite, loving the way both of them grimaced.

"I sincerely hope this is a business lunch, little brother."

"Sorry to disappoint," Inuyasha leaned back in his chair to grin at his brother. "Hey, Rin."

Rin, looking Bohemian as always, grinned at him, "Who suckered whom into this?"

Three fingers immediately pointed in three different directions.

"Thought so," she took a seat next to Miroku, who got a warning growl from Sesshomaru.

"If this isn't for business," Sesshomaru cleared his throat primly, earning him a muted snicker from Kagome. "Why are the three of you here?"

The singer opened her mouth to answer, then, remembering it was no use, shut it.

"Allow me to translate for our verbally challenged friend," Inuyasha was really enjoying her silence. "Lost a bet."

"Let me guess," Rin took a bite of her own salad. "You guys didn't tell her that you tag-team at poker?"

Miroku had the grace to look affronted; Inuyasha only smirked. Kagome glared at both of them, kicked Miroku under the table, and yanked on Inuyasha's ear. Hard.

* * *

Marcelo Ochoa glanced up as soon as he heard the door. He should have known. That 'exchange student' Higurashi had brought had insisted on calling someone as soon as he heard the plan for the class and, from the looks of it, they'd arrived. He turned back to his list. Just in time too, the girl was next. 

"Marcelo," the voice of an old friend came from over his shoulder, along with the rustle of fabric as the man sat down.

"Tai," he greeted calmly. "I must confess, I wasn't expecting him to call you."

"He didn't. He called my son."

"Any idea why?"

"Sess's label recently signed her. Yash and a few of her friends make up the rest of the band. From what I can gather, our phone-happy friend is a cousin of hers determined to help," he could almost hear his friend shrug. "Who knows why he called."

Ochoa nodded, then signaled to James, his TA. "She's one of my more ambitious students. She has a tendency to get very upset when things go wrong."

"Don't we all," Tai mumbled.

"Yes sir?" James had arrived, Ochoa noted, slightly annoyed. It wasn't that he disliked the boy; the poor kid simply tried too hard.

"Fetch Higurashi, would you?" instantly James was gone. Marcelo turned to face his friend. "I must thank you though. If she hadn't been so frustrated with that damn note she'd never have gotten around to writing her own music."

"'There's no reason for a note to be that high!'" the other man quoted his former student. "Cerise tells me she's one of her prized students, though."

"Cerise has her now?" Ochoa shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder if that girl's a masochist."

"Which one?" Tai quipped.

There was a huge rustling of paper followed by a sudden thud and a short bout of rather vigorous cursing in three languages.

"That score sounds rather heavy, Miss Higurashi," the Composition professor remarked. "I believe I requested a single piece, not an opera."

"My muse ran away with my pen, sir," the student replied, carefully restacking the hundreds of copies of the score. "And I assure you that there are no 'virtuoso arias'."

"Pity," Tai grinned. "I rather liked that High E."

Passing out copies of the music to the orchestra and choir, the singer shuddered. "If Webber weren't such a musical genius, I'd tell him to rot in hell."

Several snickers could be heard, along with a gasped, "Seija!" She ignored them. Walking to her professor, she held out a three-ring binder, "And your copy."

"Miss Higurashi," Marcelo began, idly paging through the binder's contents. "I believe I told you it wasn't necessary to have everything finished by today."

"It's not finished," Kagome grinned broadly, already walking back to the front of the room. "I'm still missing the keys, drums, bass, and guitar."

"You scare me, child."

"Alright!" The petite woman suddenly looked very commanding. "Let's begin with the orchestra. Time signature, starting key, tempo and any key or tempo changes are already there. Vibraphone, Strings, you come in instantly. Strings _pianissimo_ until timpani-"

She ran through the somewhat complicated score with them before allowing the conductor to take over. Moving to stand by the choir, she told the singers to pay attention to the tempo and any of its changes. She remained at that post for the duration of the first two run-throughs, occasionally calling out such cues to the choir as "My fall!", or "Take me!", the second of which her cousin found terribly amusing.

If her music was anything to go by, Marcelo was right. She was terribly ambitious. The music was split into distinct sections, each with it's own 'flavor' but all with an overall bombastic, yet longing, tone. It was similar to a film score, albeit a ten-minute one.

When the orchestra was finished with it's second sight-read, Kagome gleefully told them to take a break.

Turning to the choir, she announced, "Our turn!"

An alto timidly raised a hand, "What do you mean 'our' turn?"

"You have all of the lyrics on the inside cover of your copy, right?" the songstress looked panicked. At the choir's murmurs of assent, she heaved an overdramatic sigh of relief. "God, I thought I'd gone blond again. What I mean is that I'm not going to sit back and worry about things going wrong. What isn't in your music for you to sing, I'm singing. Mr. Ochoa can confirm that, he has the full lyrical score. If anyone's screwing up a solo, it's gonna be me."

There were a few snickers at that.

"Alrighty," there was a huge grin on her face now. "Let's start from the beginning, shall we? Everybody, please note that there is a key and time signature on every line, any changes are obvious if you keep track of that. First section: staccato. You are not saying 'ah'; there's no doctor with a tongue depressor here. It's more an exhalation; a sharp 'ha'. Note the later switch to legato-"

After she'd given a brief overview of each section, she said, "We're going to sight read it, I'm going to take the verses, I'll cue you as to your part. No one freak on the chorus, I'll be singing over you."

One of the cheekier tenors piped up, "That would be that 'dying cat' sound, right?"

There was a rather vituperative burst of Finnish from somewhere to Tai's left.

"From the top," Kagome smiled, as if she hadn't heard a thing.

The choir was harmonized well, and Kagome had gone for more restrained, pop-style vocals so as not to draw too much attention. The lyrics sounded like the usual romantic drivel to Inutaisho…Until they got to the chorus. For some reason, the crooning of 'My fall will be for you' over the lines 'If you be the one to cut me, Somehow I'll bleed forever' didn't quite sit well with him.

That didn't bother Tero, however. He was quite enjoying everything…Up to the formerly amusing 'Take me' bit.

"Take me! Cure me!" the choir chanted. "Kill me! Bring me home! Every way! Every day! Just another loop in the hangman's noose-"

Just because she'd strayed from the operatic didn't mean Kagome'd strayed from drama. Her nearly distraught voice echoing the choir's pleas was somewhat chilling and her own cry of "Forgive the adoring beast!" was nearly heart wrenching.

Marcelo, however, was more unsettled by the subtle shift at the end. Sure, there was still the angelic croon of 'My fall will be for you', they choir was still chanting in the same rhythm, but the words had changed.

"My fall will be for you," the choir announced. "My love will be in you, You were the one to cut me, So now I'll bleed forever-"

Both of the older men were startled when Tero dropped into the seat next to Tai. "I don't understand her," the Finn declared.

"Is, uh," Tai began. "Is everything alright? With her?"

"She's as happy as I've seen her in a long while," the young man smiled slightly, shrugging. "But with her- everything she writes is either autobiographical or inspired by a book. I'm rather hoping this is the latter."

* * *

'Ooooh, Kagome's gonna kill me,' Sango sang delightedly in her head. Really though, Kagome needed to learn that putting her diary on top of her desk was not 'hiding' it. 

Honestly, who could blame her? Her best friend had been mute for three days; of course she wanted to know what was going on in her head.

_Wednesday-_

_I was right. He does have a nice smile. It's not a 'Million-watt light up the room' smile, but it's cute. Not that I'm really waiting for him to smile again. It isn't like it's the be-all-end-all of my existence. It's just…Kinda sexy._

_Agh! I did not just write that!_

Sango managed to smother a grin. Kagome was really adorable when she was boy-crazy.

_Alright, enough fawning. He's an arrogant ass anyway…Speaking of asses…Oh, I cannot believe my brain right now…_

_Anyway, Tero, little twit that he is, has the bright idea for me to scream in one of the tracks. And not the 'Omigod a monster!' scream either. Full out, high E wail. _

_And the rest of the guys? They're going along with it!_

_I oughta do it and break glass…That'd teach-_

"Sango?" Kagome called, fully enjoying being able to use her voice.

The diary was shut and replaced quickly. "Over here!"

"Ready to go?" the younger woman craned her neck around the doorframe, grinning.

"Definitely," Sango smiled back. "And you better be prepared for hugs when you get there. Tyson's been going nuts."

* * *

Sango was right. Tyson was going bonkers. He'd hugged her when she came in, then, five minutes later, asked when she showed up and hugged her again. He was about to hug her a third time when she asked what was on the agenda for the night. 

"Agenda?" he blinked. "We have one of those?"

Kagome smiled, "Got it."

* * *

Jenna, the part-time bartender, raised an eyebrow at the onyx-haired woman in front of her. "Run that by me again?" 

Kagome sighed. "Three beers, one scotch on the rocks, one order of ramen, two burgers, two fries, two cokes, one water, one coffee, a screwdriver, and a lemonade."

"That it?" Kelly, the cook for the night asked.

"Pretty sure."

"I'll have that right out," she disappeared into the kitchen.

Around five minutes later, Kagome was on her way back to the table. She'd just finished setting the drinks down when Tero suddenly got a wicked grin.

"Seija," he sing-songed. "I've never…Dyed my hair."

Kagome affected a blank look, picked up her father's coffee and choked down a swig. Inuyasha had to smother a laugh when she made a very interesting face.

"I hate you," she sputtered, running off to find a drink of water.

Half the table seemed to remember something either amusing or disturbing, while the other half remained clueless.

Inuyasha turned to his father, who seemed to know what that was all about, "Do we really want to know?"

Inutaisho shrugged. "Well-" something suddenly made him cringe, "No. Not really, no."

Miroku turned to Kouga, "Odd colors?"

"Yeah."

Kagura smacked her boyfriend on the arm. "You're one to talk, Mister Blue-hair."

"Yours was purple!" Kouga defended, rubbing his arm. "And spiked!"

* * *

Immediately after Andrew Vaughn had finished his meal, he began to hear the whispers. At first, it was one or two murmurs of 'Where is she?' that soon rose in volume to a busy hum. The entertainment reporter glanced around. 

"'Who is she?' would be a better question," he muttered.

"That's the name of the game, innit?" someone to his right nudged him. "But we can't have a guess if she don't show. Been missin' for three days. None of us've seen her since Monday. Beginning to wonder about the little girl."

Vaughn had little time to question, or inch away, as the man was suddenly on his feet, shouting a playful 'Where the hell 'ya been!' to someone.

"Hello to you too, Mac," a laughing accented voice replied.

"Don't you 'hello' me, Missy!" the man returned. "You've got some explaining to do!"

"Went to Vegas," the hooded figure waved a hand.

"And no souvenirs?" someone else called. "Shame on you!"

"Well, I was going to bring back Celine Dion shirts and Spock bears, but they were sold out," there were a few half-hearted glares and mock-annoyed mutterings, so she quickly added, "Who wants to start the program off?"

A moment of quiet, then someone called out, "Over the Hills!"

Vaughn raised an eyebrow as she began the song's drum-solo intro.

_They came for him one winter's night  
__Arrested he was bound  
__They said there'd been a robbery  
__His pistol had been found_

As it turned out, her 'version' was a basically a note-for-note remake of the original. The tempo had changed slightly and the vocals were female, but the song was instantly recognizable as the Gary Moore classic from nearly twenty years ago.

The familiarity worked to her advantage, though; by the middle of the song most were singing along with the chorus. Of course, the words of the chorus changed, which threw some off, giving Vaughn the opportunity to snicker.

Sensing the opportunity for a story, the reporter began to glance around; two kids in Children of Bodom shirts were flashing metal horns, a middle aged couple was singing along with every word, and the abnormally large and diverse family a couple tables over was animatedly discussing something.

The music abruptly dropped out and the woman raised her hands, signaling the crowd to sing along. They did, happily, Vaughn included.

_Over the hills and far away  
__She prays he will return one day  
__As sure as the rivers reach the seas  
__Back in his arms is where she'll be_

As the song closed out, Vaughn began making notes. Small details like her pronunciation of certain things and almost larger than life stage presence along with larger points like the diversity of the crowd and their enthusiasm were all taken down in shorthand on his ever-present notepad.

"Any special occasions I should know about?" the woman asked when the song had ended. When no one moved, she glanced around the room, almost whining, "Come on! I know someone has some sort of announcement! I'd settle for singing Happy Birthday right now!"

Still nothing.

"I'm serious! I don't have a list, I had Pixie Stix before the show, and I'm really hyper and-" She broke off suddenly. "Well, that's interesting."

One of the members of the 'abnormally large and diverse family' had stood. It took Vaughn a few seconds to recognize him as Sesshomaru Mamoru, the founder of Nazo Records. The man cleared his throat and was about to speak when a sing-song voice called out, "Dad is gonna kill you."

"If they're breaking up, I'll definitely kill him," another voice added.

"If you'll all shut up, I won't kill you," the businessman deadpanned. When they were quiet, he nodded, continuing, "Rin, I know we've never exactly been conventional, but Father will slaughter me if I don't do this right."

"How romantic," the hooded singer remarked sarcastically.

"If the 'Peanut Gallery' has any more comments, they'd best keep them to themselves," the added death glare caused the woman to raise her hands in surrender. Turning back to his unofficial fiancée, Sesshomaru retrieved the velvet box from his pocket. Kneeling, he said simply, "Rin, I'm asking you officially, _conventionally_, if you would marry me."

The box opened to reveal a brilliantly colored, marquis-cut citrine in a platinum setting. Elegant scrollwork on either side completed the piece. Rin looked from the ring to his face and back again, tears emerging.

"Where's the diamond?" Inutaisho narrowed his eyes. "I gave your mother a diamond, boy."

"Rin," Sesshomaru prompted, hoping she would answer.

"Told ya Dad would kill him."

"Rin," the stoic man was as close to pleading as his nature allowed him to be. "I'm kneeling on the rather dubious floor of a diner in a rather expensive suit because I love you. An answer is all I need."

Kagome piped up again, "Girl, if you don't answer him, I'm gonna steal him from you."

The brown-eyed woman gave a watery laugh and launched herself into her boyfriend's arms. "You big dumbass. You already know my answer! And you!" She pointed to the singer. "Stay the hell away from my man!"

"Damn," Kagome snapped her fingers in a gesture of mock defeat.

"His brother's free though!" Inuyasha couldn't bring himself to glare at his future sister-in-law.

* * *

The remainder of the evening was uneventful, save for one song, uniquely requested by Miroku and five others, that Inuyasha likened to 'a midnight showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show'. After a few moments of advertisement of her interview on the radio the next day and promising to take called-in questions, Kagome decided it was time to close out the show. 

She began the well-known vocalization of her last song and, immediately, the crowd responded enthusiastically. When the drums and guitar jumped in, speeding up the tempo, those who knew the song clapped in time. After a short run, the tempo slowed again slightly and Kagome began the lyrics.

_In your creation heaven did decree  
__That in your arms sweet death should dwell_

The vocals were almost singspiel, or sing-speaking; simple, not flashy or ornate. The only background was a quick ¾ beat and soft intermittent chords on the synth.

_Deep Silent Complete  
__Black velvet sea  
__The sirens are calling for me_

Again, the guitar joined and she repeated the vocalization, smiling broadly when several, off-key, voices joined in, cracking on the higher end.

_Saved my soul thinking "This song's a lie"  
__Sand on the shore is so dry  
__Deep Silent Complete  
__Black velvet sea  
__Brave day sinking in endless night_

A very distorted guitar backed up the synth as it began a run. Cutting the instruments off, she continued a cappela, placing a hand on her chest.

_The age will say "This poet lies"_

She gestured to the now officially, _conventionally_ engaged, and comfortably cuddling, couple,

_Heaven never touched earthly face  
__The age will say "This night was ours"  
__Blessed with the Deep the Silent the Complete_

The guitar and synth resumed, and this time finished, their run before she began the vocalization again, this time repeating it as the lights faded, ending the song when she could no longer be seen.

* * *

"Seija," Tero was hovering three inches above her face. "It's Friday, Seija." 

"It was Friday when I went to bed, Caveman," Kagome rolled over.

"It's nearly noon, Seija," Tero poked her side.

"It only takes me twenty minutes to get ready," she reasoned.

"Uncle Tony and Shippo tried to cook breakfast and almost burned the kitchen down."

"I don't smell smoke."

"The rest of the band is standing in the doorway."

"What!" she screeched, bolting up, hugging the covers to her chest.

"Uncle Tony!" Tero hollered out the, obviously clear, doorway. "You owe me ten dollars!"

* * *

"Currently in the studio with me," the smooth baritone began, "is one of our own local celebrities. Though she's promised to answer any questions you call in, it currently appears that she would like her sandwich to tell her the meaning of life." 

Accent firmly in place, the young woman laughed. "I'm just wondering how much trouble I'll get into if I eat."

"With me?" Naraku shrugged. "None. I don't know about the others though."

"Water's allowed?"

"Definitely."

Kagome sighed in relief. "Oooh, the phone's lighting up!"

"People, I have a very hyper singer in here, it would seem. Let's see if some of your questions can calm her down," he quickly went to line 1. "Hello, _you_ are on the air."

"Yeah, it's Michael, longtime listener, first time caller and all that jazz," the man laughed slightly. "Anyway, I do have a question."

"Go ahead," Kagome was leaning forward slightly.

"I noticed that you have a couple tracks that you didn't credit to yourself," he paused. "Why are you doing covers? You seem to have enough material that you can just do your own stuff."

"Because it's fun to swipe songs," she imitated a teenybopper before sobering up. "No, stealing is bad, don't steal. Seriously, the covers are usually more widely known, so if the crowd is mostly new it's easier to play something they already know. It eases them into the set."

"Over the Hills, yeah," the caller agreed. "But that other one, I'd never heard it before."

"Walking in the Air has a lot of back-story with my family. It's close to me and I think it's one of the best pieces of music ever composed, so that one's purely selfish," she smiled. "Good question, Michael."

"Thanks for answering," he hung up.

"Next caller."

"Hello, I'm Alicia."

"Hiya!" Kagome chirruped. "What can I do for you?"

"I just want to know what you think the most embarrassing thing you've ever written is," the caller sounded entirely too cheery.

"You mean other than a skit in ninth year about 'Lady Escargot Pudding' and 'Prince Pierre Pannacotta'?" she took a swig of water. "There is a song in the 'Pile O' Things to be Buried Behind an Outhouse As Soon As I Find One'."

"Really?" the woman squeaked. "Why would you do that to a song?"

"Because it's the worst piece of crap I ever wrote and I think I was really mad at my boyfriend when I wrote it," the singer answered simply.

"Oh."

The interview went on for nearly two hours. Questions were answered, songs were requested, shout-outs were given, and, finally, goodbyes were said.

* * *

"So we're just doing the Prelim recordings today?" Kagome glanced out the windowed walls of the small booth. 

"Yep," Kouga answered from his own booth.

"What are we doing?" Miroku called from inside his plastic bubble.

"No one knows!" Inuyasha knocked on his friend's wall. "Just wing it!"

Tero, listening over the various mics, dropped his head into his hands. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

"What have we here?" an unfamiliar voice came into the room.

"David!" Stephen, the recording engineer, stood and greeted the new arrivals. "Tero, this is Dead Right. Dead Right, this is Tero."

Tero waved slightly, still listening to the chatter going on inside the booths.

"Ignore him, he's busy," Stephen chuckled nervously. "So, what are you guys doing here?"

"We actually came in to finalize a tour schedule," Thom, the band's drummer announced.

"Really?"

"Um-hmm," James, the bass player answered uninterestedly. "Interesting set-up."

"Yeah," Stephen moved back to the board. "Newbies."

"No, Seija, really," Tero was saying. "I need a track name and possibly a number."

"I have no idea what we're doing, Caveman!" an almost panicked voice came over the intercom. "All I have is the lyrics. They've got all the music! Ask them!"

"Uh, yeah," Inuyasha broke in. "Seeing as our leading lady's having a conniption, we're just gonna go with Passion and the Opera, alright. Track 5?"

"I. Hate. You."

"This could get interesting," David, frontman and lead guitarist, grinned. "Mind if we sit in?"

"Go right ahead," Tero waved as a rapid guitar intro began.

The band crowded behind the board, reading the lyrics over Tero's shoulder and catcalling every once in a while. As the song progressed, the older band watched, amused, as the two guitarists spread the news of their presence to the rest of the band, except the singer, of course.

'Over there!' Kouga mouthed, jerking his head towards the front of the room.

'I know!' Inuyasha mouthed back. 'Tell those two.'

'She's going to shit bricks!' Kouga mouthed, slowly.

Transitioning to the break, Inuyasha shrugged. 'Don't care!'

"Wait a minute," Thom spoke up. "They're at the end of the lyrics. What are they doing?"

"Patience," Tero rolled his eyes at the Americans. "Honestly. No vision," into the earphone-only mic, he muttered, "Run with it, Seija."

In her own little plastic, music-filled world, Kagome rolled her eyes. 'Do it like you practiced, Kagome. Run with it, Seija.' Techs…

The cue came…And she ran with it.

Moving back from the mic, she began to let out a mix of staccato and legato, high and low, trills, warbles, clean notes, anything she felt like throwing out. Up a fifth, down an octave; it wasn't the actual cut, so what the hell.

Before too long, she liked it better than the original sequence.

When the track was finished, the guys had their say.

"Showoff," came the amused call from the guitarist's box.

"Can we use that?" Kouga's voice asked.

"Depends," Naraku added reasonably. "Could she do it again?"

"My ears hurt," Miroku whined. "Damn drums are too loud."

"Tero," Kagome called out. "Somebody out there! Run back that last section! If we're using it, it needs harmonies."

"Perfectionist," David nodded. "Good."

Once the entire band was satisfied with the outcome, they began to move on.

"Three and nine are out," Kagome announced. "Pharaoh Sails and Deep Dark Ocean."

"Don't have the male vocals," Tero explained to the mini audience.

Smiling suspiciously, James asked, "What kind of male vocals do they need?"

An hour later, Tero called everyone from their booths. "Meet your new best friends," he waved to the members of Dead Right.

"Hear ya need DMMV's," David smirked.

* * *

_**A/N2: Right, DMMV's are slang for 'Death Metal Male Vocals'. Basically, those creepy voices Wilska, Dani Filth, and Shagrath make their living doing. 'Escargot Pudding' and 'Pierre Pannacotta' either belong to Rumiko (my God I hope not) or the wacky translators for the Ocean Group...I'll have to check the dub again. Anyhooters, I've only jumped about a month in that last section, but they are getting dangerously close to having to record and tour...And I still need a couple of curve balls to throw at them on the tour bus, so... Review please, if you've got a crazy idea!**_


	11. Chapter Ten

**_Umm...Will 'I'm terribly sorry and this chapter is like 23 pages' keep you from killing me? I know I took forever, but my dad was sick, then I was sick, now my grandmother's sick, and a month's worth of make-up work is a bitch... Oh, and someone mentioned that there wasn't really any personal life going on...Well, there isn't a whit of music in this one except for random mentions of songs and Kag's Mariah-demo. And for some reason, I'm really proud of this one description of Kagome...See if you can spot it._**

**_Disclaimer: Anything that is recognized by anyone as belonging to anyone but me is hereby disclaimed and shall not be used in any lawsuits what so ever...Glances at her Lawyer/Father Happy now?_**

* * *

"You're going to have two very dead stylists on your hands," a very angry, very restrained voice whispered over the telephone line. 

"Good afternoon to you, too, Kagome!" Inuyasha grinned. "We would have sent Suikotsu and Renkotsu after you, but they're busy."

"I'm going to kill these two," the singer whispered again from her corner in the lobby.

"What'd they do?" Miroku asked.

Ah, the wonders of speakerphone.

"They dragged me out of TJMaxx, for one thing," she shot an angry glare at the two stylists flipping through magazines. "And now I'm sitting in this Patchouli-scented lobby, waiting for some wacko named 'Manuel'!"

"That's gonna be fun," Kouga chimed.

"Friend of yours?" Inuyasha turned to the bassist.

"No!" the wolf backtracked quickly. "They had a late-night special on him. I was too tired to change the channel!"

"Uh-huh, sure," Inuyasha turned back to the phone. "Look, it could be worse."

"How?" Kagome hissed, trying not to alert the topics of the conversation.

"You could be a guy," Miroku pointed out.

Sparing a quick glance at the cooing pair, the woman grimaced, "Point taken."

"Jakky-baby!" a high-pitched squeal came from her left.

"Ew," she muttered, "Magenta leather."

There was riotous laughter from her cell phone.

"Manny! Darling!" Jakotsu returned.

After air-kisses, the little group began discussing.

"What did you bring me?" Manuel clapped his hands together gleefully.

"Another project, of course!"

Bankotsu moved to Kagome, "Just ignore them."

The singer's cell was forgotten in her limp hand, her eyes fixated on the magenta pants and snakeskin shirt that made up the new arrival's wardrobe. "I am not staying here."

"Manny only does hair," Bankotsu reassured. "You won't come out of this looking like him."

"Why couldn't I use my own hairdresser?"

"Jakotsu trusts Manny," the man shrugged.

"Good luck, Kaggie-kins!" there was a sudden dial tone.

* * *

"Remind me again why we're doing all of this today," Kagome watched the manicurist work with her hands. 

"The shoot is in three days," Jakotsu chirped from his own station.

"And?" the frustrated singer turned to Bankotsu.

"He doesn't like the 'just done' look for promo shoots," the other stylist smiled apologetically.

"Why are we doing promo shoots before the album's even finished?" the singer glanced down just in time to see the manicurist open a bottle of deep, wine colored nail polish.

"Because by the time the album's done, you'll be touring, der," Jakotsu rolled his eyes. "Dead Right? Ten-Year Anniversary Tour? Year long? Ring a bell?"

"I got it," she shook her head. "I have no clue as to what's going on, but I got it."

* * *

"Ya think we should tell her we're just doing the 'black pants, odd shirt' thing?" Kouga tilted his head, watching the singer be dragged off by a horde of stylists, designers, hairdressers, and make-up artists. 

"Nah," Miroku shook his head. "They've got something planned. Best leave them to it."

"Ok," Inuyasha poked his head into the room. He'd been hiding from Jakotsu. "We've got about two hours. Who's up for Playstation?"

Naraku shrugged and started walking towards where the hanyou had disappeared.

Almost exactly two hours later, a laconic voice cut into their game. "Perfect. I'm being tortured by metrosexuals with grooming equipment, and you guys are playing Halo."

Any repartees that the men may have come up with were stifled once they saw what stood in the doorway.

All of her hair was pulled away from her face and into a curled, braided, twisted bun of an updo on the back of her head. Her azure eyes glinted dangerously behind dark, smudged kohl and silver shadow, full crimson lips pursed angrily. Arms covered in blue-black, flowing chiffon crossed over a navy-blue and silver brocaded corset, which led down into matte black leather pants. Four-inch spike-heeled boots finished the ensemble.

"Keep staring," the singer challenged. "As soon as this shoot's over, I'm back in flannel."

Smirking, Inuyasha gestured for her to twirl around. It wasn't that he wanted to see the whole outfit; he just wanted to see if she'd fall over in those boots.

Surprisingly, she didn't. "Can we go now?" completing the turn, Kagome pouted, drumming her wine-colored nails on her arm.

"Ladies first," the hanyou waved her off. "We'll catch up."

* * *

"Up! Chin up!" the photographer demanded. 

The five, none sure of who he was talking to, all complied.

"Not you!"

Five heads dropped. The photographer sighed, lowering his camera. "Look," he began, marching over to his subjects. "You each have a look that works. Use it!"

Kagome arched an eyebrow, an amused smirk on her face.

"That's what I'm talking about!" the standoffish man whirled to point at her. "Inviting and 'I'll kill you' work for you!"

From her pose in the chair, the singer craned her neck back to look at the rest of the band. "Combinations are not his strong suit," she remarked.

"I can see your cleavage," Inuyasha tilted his head, smirking mischievously.

"Perfect!" the camera was raised again.

"You pervert," Kagome leaned forward, now facing the camera again.

"You called?" Miroku gave an innocent smile.

"Excellent!" more photos were snapped.

'I wonder if Kikyou's working tonight,' Naraku mused, looking to a corner in the room. 'Kanna's been begging to see her again.'

'She's going to slaughter him,' Kouga eyed his bandmates, a smirk beginning to form. 'And I'm going to laugh.'

"Brilliant!"

Twenty minutes and two 'I can see your cleavage's later, the now openly grinning photographer scampered off to look at the results of his work.

"That guy," Kagome cracked her jaw. "He makes my head hurt."

"I think that's your hair," Kouga eyed the overgrown bun on her head.

"And then there's Mr. I-can-see-your-cleavage back there!"

Inuyasha smiled innocently while Miroku exclaimed, "So _he's_ the pervert!"

* * *

Approximately three weeks later, after finishing recording three tracks, including Walking In the Air, Tero kept the band late in order to get their input on the mixing. 

Kagome, who was already slightly annoyed with her cousin's penchant for recording all the vocals three times, 'for security' had been his reason, squeezed herself in between Inuyasha and Kouga on the small couch in the studio.

"I'm running on three hours of sleep and a ton of caffeine," she glared at the oblivious Tero. "This better be good."

Kouga inched away from the singer. Naraku, who was on his right, gave him a silently questioning glance.

The wolf youkai answered him in an undertone, "She's going to crash really hard, really soon and I need to be able to leave."

Sure enough, after about fifteen minutes of answering questions like 'Do the guitars sound better slightly in front of the keys?' Inuyasha found his arm being used as a pillow. He was perfectly content to ignore it and not draw anyone's attention to the fact that the only woman in the room was currently nuzzling his triceps in an attempt to get comfortable.

Miroku on the other hand…"Awww, Kodak moment!"

Growling lowly, Inuyasha slid down slightly on the couch, an action with the added effect of allowing the singer to rest her head on his shoulder.

"God, finally!" Tero reached for the camera on the desk. "I thought she'd never fall asleep."

Raising the camera to his eye, he chirped, "Smile!"

Flipping the Finn off, Inuyasha stated, "I hate all of you."

His answer was a flash.

* * *

"_I remember this," Kagome murmured. The clean air, green grass, the lake in the distance; all of it told her this was her grandfather's property in Kitee. She watched as her grandfather and grandmother set about trying to get younger versions of her parents, herself, and Tero to join in a 'humppa', a quick Finnish social dance. They weren't having much luck._

"_Tony!" Grandmamma Lahja laughed, trying to gain her son's attention. She continued in a rapid string of Finnish that left Kagome struggling to keep up. "Tony, you're supposed to set example! Look at my granddaughter's hair! You let her do this? Or you use her for Easter Egg?"_

_Kagome's eyes darted to her younger self. 'Oh, yeah,' she cringed. 'Metallic blue with red hi-lites. The 'Bitch' Year.' _

_How many times had she run away that year? Five? She couldn't remember now. Glancing back at her mother, she mused, 'She handled it so well.'_

"_Whaddaya want, Brat?" her own annoyed drawl drew her attention. _

_Souta was tugging at her younger-self's sleeve and pointing to the forest. He'd wanted to go for a walk. And she'd refused to take him. He'd been lost until after supper when the family had gone out to search for him. God, he'd been so scared; he had nightmares about it for years._

_He was walking towards her now, head down, shoulders sagging. All action in the background slowed as he approached. By the time he reached her, everything was still._

_The young boy raised his head to look at her, a soft smile playing about his lips. "Onee-chan," a teasing voice sounded in her head. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"_

"_But you-" she paused. "You can't."_

"_Sis," he rolled his eyes. "Stop trying to make sense of everything. The world doesn't work that way."_

_Letting out a small sob, she impulsively hugged the child, wanting reassurance. "I miss you," she held him tighter. "I miss you."_

"_Can't breathe, Sis," he remarked dryly. "Air is good."_

_She let him go, but knelt eye-level with him, as though making sure he wouldn't run away._

"_Thanks," Souta offered her another grin. "Anyway, I'm supposed to be all cryptic and 'You are the hand' and stuff, but I really don't want to-" he began chattering a mile a minute, talking about how weird it was living in her head, and how 'that Monique-girl' was kinda strange, and how 'Inu-nii-chan' was the coolest of the cool, and did she know that that opera stuff was kinda boring? _

_Kagome let him ramble, relishing the never-heard tones of her brother's voice. Eventually he ran out of steam._

"_So, yeah," he winced slightly. "Now I have to give you the 'Oooh- Spooky' statement."_

_The woman leaned forward; wanting to hear the kind of advice a twelve-year old living in her mind could give her._

"_Sing what you can't say," he shrugged. "That's all I can tell you, 'cause it's time for you to wake up now."_

"Souta," she breathed, her eyes snapping open.

"Uh, no. Inuyasha," a voice to her left reminded her. "You fell asleep."

Unheeding, she murmured, "Sing what you can't say."

"You really aren't listening are you?" the hanyou was tempted to wave a hand in front of her face.

"Sing what you can't-" her brow furrowed and she raised a hand to rub her eyes, surprised to find tears. "Sing what you- What the _hell_ kind of advice is that!" she shrieked suddenly, glaring at the ceiling, causing Inuyasha to jump away and pin his ears to his head. "You've been in my goddamn head, and all you can tell me is to sing? What do you think I've been doing for the past six years! Laundry!"

Tero watched, fascinated, as his cousin's hands began to clench and twitch impulsively. "Get her bag," he ordered the hanyou, jerking his head towards the corner it was resting in.

"Leave the bag," the singer countered.

"Seija," Tero put on his best 'authority' tone. "You need the-"

"I'm not taking the fucking pills, Tero," she ground out, willing her hands to be still. "I'm not seeing things."

A safe distance away from both, Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. This was new.

"Right," Tero drew the word out. "And you weren't seeing things when you 'followed Souta' into the forest last summer."

"Tero."

"Or, what about when that girl 'made' you follow her to the cemetery?"

"Tero," her voice was cracking.

"And last week?" angry now, the Finn strode to the bag to retrieve the pills himself. "The boy pinned to the tree that wasn't there?"

"Enough!" she stood suddenly, glared at her cousin, whispered, "I'm not crazy!" and stormed out.

"I think you fucked up there," Inuyasha observed.

"If she weren't so damn stubborn," he wasn't angry anymore; he seemed beaten.

"You're both pretty fuckin' stubborn."

The Finn narrowed his eyes, muttered something Inuyasha couldn't understand, then said, "Would you mind tracking her down? She's liable to kill me on sight."

"Sure, whatever, make me the bloodhound," the hanyou rolled his eyes and headed for the door. He got within ten feet of the rapidly walking singer before she snapped at him.

"I don't need pity, I don't need help, and I don't need a ride home."

"I wasn't offering," he pointed out.

"I'm not going to spaz out and start raving about something that doesn't exist," she warned.

"As interesting as that would be, don't care."

"Then why the hell are you following me?" she turned to face him, obviously angry.

He shrugged, a teasing smile emerging, "Got bored."

"Perfect, a stalker," she grimaced, then turned and continued to walk.

Inuyasha continued to follow her until, finally, she spoke again.

"I'm not crazy."

"I heard you the first time," he watched, grinning, as she started to fidget.

After several moments of silence, she asked again, "Why are you following me?"

He was about to answer when another voice cut him off. "Hey, baby! Come with me! I'll give you Coke and a smile!"

"That's exactly why," Inuyasha muttered.

Kagome rolled her eyes and flipped the random weirdo off.

"I wasn't talking to you, bitch!"

"I need a drink," a suddenly pale Inuyasha passed her up.

"I've got NyQuil at the house," she offered.

"Green Death or Cherry?"

"There's a difference?"

* * *

It was a rather long, uneventful walk back to Kagome's place…Unless you count that bit at the light where some chick had Within Temptation blaring and Kagome thought it was a good idea to sing 'Angels' at the top of her lungs…Which was pretty damn loud. 

Now, armed with his cell, and the lines "No remorse 'cos I still remember, The smile when you tore me apart" stuck in his head, Inuyasha was fully ready to swipe some Nyquil and crash on the couch.

"Could have been, Forever," Kagome was still singing, but under her breath now. "Now we have, Reached the end."

She unlocked the door and strode in, ignoring Tero's taunting call of "Bringing the new boyfriend home to meet the parents?"

"Boyfriend?" Shippou, just scampering into the room, slid to a halt. Looking up at Kagome, he gave the most adorable 'puppy eyes' he could manage. "You aren't dating the meanie, are you?"

Scooping the kit up, Kagome smiled. "No, Sweetie. I'm not dating anyone."

"Gag me," Inuyasha muttered, noting the obvious innocent act the kid was using.

"So," Tero grinned. "Taking the fold-out? Or did you have," he waggled his eyebrows, "other plans?"

"I'm not even going to answer that."

Fifteen minutes later, the fold-out was ready, the NyQuil had been taken, and a few house rules were being laid down.

"First off," Tero raised a finger, trying to look authoritative. "No sneaking into Seija's-"

A pillow cut him off.

Tony simply shook his head, "If you need anything, the bathrooms are down that hall," he pointed. "You already know where the kitchen is."

The hanyou nodded, feeling a bit like a five-year-old at a sleep-over.

Kagome spoke up, "If something comes up, leave a note. I've got dibs on the bathroom at 7 AM, and Tero sleepwalks."

"You fix breakfast in your underwear!" the Finn sputtered.

"I do not!" four sets of eyes stared at her: two daring her to deny it again, one thoroughly confused, the other highly amused. "Fine! But it was just that one time!"

* * *

Pouting in her room, Kagome stared at her wall. An unfinished song stared back. 

"Fiiiniiiish meee!" it called.

The singer rolled over. The clock blinked at her.

"It's 2:01," it reminded. "D'you know where your mind is?"

"It was in the gutter," she muttered.

'Was not,' a petulant voice answered. 'S'not my fault.'

"Just shut up, would you?"

'What?' the voice snorted. 'I can't help it that he's right there!'

"I don't have time for this!" Kagome swung out of bed and strode down the hall.

'Yes!' the voice was cheering now. 'Finally! I was beginning to think…you'd…never…Where are you going? He's right there!'

Ignoring it as best she could, Kagome set about making a mug of tea. Soon, she had her hands wrapped around a steaming mug and was curling up in her favorite thinking spot: the overstuffed chair in the living room.

'Moonlight hits his hair perfectly, huh?' the voice was back.

Kagome shot a glance at the sleeping hanyou. "It'd be better if his hair weren't trying to go up his nose."

'Where's your sense of romance?'

"He's an arrogant asshole."

'I seem to remember telling you the same thing about Hiten…'

"Shut up," setting her mug on the small table next to the chair, Kagome rose and walked over to the side of the fold-out.

'Perfect!' the voice squealed. 'Now all you have to do is climb in…'

Shaking her head, Kagome brushed a section of hair from Inuyasha's face.

"Y'know," he mumbled, still half asleep. "I could probably sue you for that."

"Sorry," she moved back to lean against the wall. "Didn't mean to wake you."

"Don't worry about it," he flapped a hand. "Kit did that already."

"Shippou?"

"Mm-hmm," he pointed to a small lump. "Something about 'protecting Momma'."

"Well, you get back to sleep," Kagome smiled slightly. "I'll take him and get out of your way."

"S'ok," a rather undignified yawn punctuated the statement. "Leave him. He's fine."

"If you're sure," she turned to leave. "Just remember, that final's next week."

"Yeah, about that," he cracked an eye open to look at her. "That song scares me."

"Good night," she called over her shoulder.

* * *

It was obviously morning. Birds were chirping, someone had made coffee, HIM was blaring…And Tero's face was three inches from his own. 

"Good morning!" the other man chimed. "Pancakes or toast?"

"Would you not lean over me when you've just eaten bacon?" Inuyasha tried to wave the smell out of his face.

"Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Tero shook his head and walked back to the kitchen. "You can get your own breakfast then!"

"I see you've managed to get Tero annoyed," Kagome was smirking from her place in the doorway.

"Doesn't seem too hard," the hanyou was very tempted to roll over and go back to sleep.

"Look," the singer shoved away from the doorframe. "I've got to be to the Municipal in about two hours. You have somewhere you need to be?"

"What time is it?" he asked only to seem like he cared. Truthfully, if he felt like it, he could call the school and say he wouldn't be there; he'd been subbing for so long while Elizondo recuperated after his knee surgery, he was bound to have at least a day of vacation.

"7:15," Kagome smiled; he was acting like a five-year-old.

Inuyasha did roll over then. "Too early," he mumbled.

Saying nothing, the woman walked into the kitchen, retrieved an oversized glass, filled it with ice water, and walked back into the living room.

Five seconds later, in the garage, Tony heard a scream that sounded something like "Damnit, Bitch! That's cold!"

* * *

"Bye, 'Gome!" Shippou called as he bounded out of the car. "Bye, Meanie!" 

Before Kagome could reprimand the kit, the still very cranky hanyou let out a low growl that sent him scampering.

"Grumpy butt," she shot him a sideways glance.

"That shit was not funny," he continued staring straight ahead. His left ear flicked intermittently, trying to rid itself of the stubborn droplets that had trickled into it.

"No," the singer smiled. "It was hilarious."

Inuyasha's only response was another low growl.

The school bus in front of the car turned on its flashers and stuck out its 'STOP' sign. Rolling her eyes, Kagome put the car in 'park' and decided to try to patch things over with the sulking hanyou.

"I'm sorry," she was determined not to smile, or grin, or even smirk…Until his ear flicked again. After that, she couldn't help the slight laugh.

"Nice try, Bitch," he didn't even glance at her. Instead, he looked down. Perfect, his damn wet hair was making his damn shirt wet. Damn bitch.

He heard the woman sigh and then felt something warm and heavy rest on his shoulder, her head. A quick glance told him she was trying to pull off the 'doe-eyed' look.

"No," he turned to look out the window, not missing the puzzled look that came over her features.

"No?" there was an odd whine to her voice.

"No," Inuyasha repeated, staring intently out the window. "It's not going to work."

"Not even if I offer lunch?"

He paused for a moment, considering, before replying, "No."

Frowning, Kagome straightened, her head leaving his shoulder. "I didn't-" she stopped, phrasing her next sentence carefully. "If- if I hurt you…I didn't mean to."

The hanyou turned from the window to level a calculating stare at her.

The car was completely silent for a moment before…

"The bus is moving, Kagome."

The singer smiled all too brightly for the comment. "Thank you."

* * *

"I thought you burned that shirt," Miroku frowned at his long-time friend. 

"Rin intervened," the hanyou scowled, picking at one of the buttons. "Stupid bitch."

"Don't let Sess hear you say that."

"Not her," Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "The other bitch."

"Alright," the human racked his brains to try to decipher that statement. "You lost me."

"She fell asleep in the studio yesterday," deciding that the annoying button would only be more annoying if it came off, he stopped picking at it.

"That helps how?" Miroku gestured for him to continue.

The hanyou flicked him off. "Anyway, when she woke up she started muttering some stuff I didn't get and then screaming at the ceiling. Tero mentioned something about her bag and she told him that she 'wouldn't take the pills'…Don't ask, I don't know. They had a spat, she stormed out, he sent me after her, I followed her, got hit on by some psycho asshole, took some NyQuil and spent the night on her couch," when Miroku raised an eyebrow suggestively, Inuyasha spat, "You fucking lecher! Get your mind out of the gutter!"

"Nothing happened," a voice from the door made Miroku jump. "Well, I dumped freezing cold water on his head, but, y'know he's really hard to wake up."

"Bracelet, off."

When she complied, he sniffed the air. "What the fuck are you wearing?"

"A suit that's been in my car for a week and some really good smelling Bath & Body Works spray," Kagome walked to one of the stools by the window. Setting down her guitar case, she took the jacket of the suit off.

"I think that's the least amount of clothing I've ever seen you wear," Miroku smiled.

"Mm-mee 'lone," the singer tried to talk around the pick in her mouth.

"Didn't quite catch that."

"Leave me alone," she repeated, adding, "And don't think I don't know why you like 'Wishmaster' so much."

"And why's that?" Inuyasha piped up from his own corner.

"He completely misheard the chorus," her voice was flat.

The violet-eyed lech smiled innocently, "But I like my version so much better."

"I'm almost afraid to ask," the hanyou frowned slightly. "But what did he hear?"

Kagome's face burned red, "Master, Apprentice, Hard porn, Seamen seeker," she mumbled.

"Well," Miroku grinned. "I'm not the one keeping a sauna warm for a gnome."

"You're evil and I hate you," the singer sniffed and turned her attention to the window.

Golden eyes darted between the room's other two occupants, "I don't get it."

* * *

Inutaisho glanced at the ceiling of his classroom for the umpteenth time. It was quiet up there. Too quiet. 

Sure there'd been scattered spurts of electrics and someone fudging the melody line to Stairway to Heaven, but it had been deathly silent for about twenty minutes now. It was quite worrisome… Especially considering that it was his son up there.

Shoving his grading aside, the elder youkai decided to satisfy his curiosity. He was midway up the stairs when an odd yell of "No!" caused him to run up the remaining flights.

He threw open the door, expecting to find some horrible scene, and was surprised to find three amazingly bored young adults.

"Still don't know why 'Truth or Dare' is out," Miroku sulked near the center of the room.

"One, you suggested it," Kagome raised a finger. "Two, there are two of you, one of me, and you've already cheated at poker. Three, I hate that damn game."

"Why's that?" Inuyasha, half-asleep, spun around in his chair again.

"I always get the really weird dares!" the singer began to tick off various examples. "Seven Minutes in Heaven with a stuffed animal, Killer Shrew, Hop on one foot and sing 'I'm a Little Teapot', Karaoke to an Ywngie Malmsteen song-"

"Is that possible?" the hanyou stopped mid-spin.

"If you have absolutely no shame and the added bonus of a whistle register, sometimes," she shrugged. "You look like an idiot anyway."

"Whistle register?" Miroku tilted his head.

"Above E6."

"E-What now?"

The singer narrowed her eyes. "You're going to make me sing it, aren't you?"

"Yep," he smiled brilliantly.

Throwing up her hands, Kagome cried out, "Fine! Whatever! Cover your ears!"

Inuyasha could only guess that the last bit was directed at him. He barely managed to pin his ears back when she opened her mouth and let out a piercing sound.

It wasn't a scream, it was far too controlled, but she wasn't exactly singing either, the sound was just… there.

It continued for about three seconds before she shut her mouth. Fixing Miroku with a glare, she spoke again, "Whistle register."

"I've got a dare for all of you," Tai broke in, leaning against the door. "Do something productive."

"I like that one," Miroku had a very odd smirk.

"Productive," Inuyasha threw whatever happened to be in front of him at the lech. "Not reproductive."

Ignoring the minor melodrama, Tai addressed the singer, "Did you get a chance to work on that thing I talked with you about?"

"Candide?" she asked.

He nodded.

"I've been working on it," a hand ran through her hair. "But that number's a pain in the ass _without_ staging."

The musical theatre sponsor snorted, "It's supposed to be."

The singer stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't know why you want me to do it, anyway."

"Cause he's sadistic," Inuyasha's eyes were closed again.

Miroku turned to the history professor, "I'd ground him."

At that moment, an annoyingly cheerful chime rang through the room, followed by the announcement, "Teachers, please release the seniors and juniors to the assembly hall. Seniors and juniors to the assembly hall."

"Prom meeting?" Kagome guessed.

The Final Fantasy villain's theme began to float through the air. Miroku began looking for the source of the sound while Tai and Inuyasha turned to Kagome.

"What?" the singer shrank back slightly, already fishing the phone from her bag. "I'm a dork!"

The chime rang again. "Freshmen and sophomores to the assembly hall. Freshmen and sophomores to the assembly hall."

"Hello?" Kagome had finally found her cell.

"There some sort of party we don't know about?" Inuyasha asked his father, whose only reply was a shrug.

The color began to drain from Kagome's face. "And when was this?"

"Ok, not a party."

The chime came for a third time. "Would the following teachers please report to the lounge: Aredan, Brishell, Loderson, Mamoru-"

Neither father nor son moved, instead they simply glanced up at the intercom.

"-Sorry. 'I' Mamoru and….'I' Mamoru…Odd…Orten, Quinn, Steffen, and Vorton. Again, would those teachers please report to the lounge."

"I'll be there in forty minutes," she disconnected the call, threw the phone into her bag, clenched her hands into fists, and screamed, "That _bitch!_"

* * *

"Do you even know where it is?" a still visibly fuming Kagome glared at the back of the hanyou's head. 

"Of course I know where it is!" he shot her a matching glare in the rearview. "These fuckers won't move!"

Sure enough, there were only brake lights ahead.

"I don't have time for this," the singer mumbled before snapping out, "Get back here! I'm driving!"

Deciding, for once, not to argue, Inuyasha undid his seatbelt and, rolling his eyes, sneered, "Yes, your Highness."

Tai craned his neck to exchange weary glances with Miroku. If the situation weren't so urgent, the Inu-youkai would probably have told the two to calm down. As it was…Well…When dealing with a mother figure, the first rule of survival was to never threaten her young. Simply put, Tai was hoping Ms. Winslow would get every bit of what was coming to her.

Centripetal force cut off his line of thought as the SUV made a sharp, and probably illegal, turn. After several other, similar maneuvers, Tai found himself missing his son's driving.

A haphazard and high-speed navigation of back roads had them at the day-care/Elementary school within twenty minutes.

Not really caring about proper parking etiquette, Kagome swerved into a nearby street, slammed on the brakes, threw the vehicle into park, and turned off the engine. She was about to leap from the SUV when a quick glance in the rearview made her do a double take.

Not one, but two violet-eyed, black-haired humans looked back at her. The one on the right was obviously Miroku; the placid expression was a dead giveaway. The other, however, looked annoyed.

She shot a glance to her old History professor. Blue eyes and gunmetal-gray hair met her gaze.

Shaking her head to clear it, she muttered, "Warn me next time."

The scene was actually better than expected. A large crowd, perhaps two hundred but probably less, was crowded around the bullhorn armed Ms. Winslow.

"…Would have us believe that these 'children' are innocent!" she was yelling. "Harmless! I ask you: is any creature whose forefathers have slaughtered innocent humans innocent!"

A resounding 'No!' answered her.

"She's been at it for about thirty minutes now," an observing voice announced once the small group had reached the perimeter of the school. "She does the same speech at any 'rally'."

Inuyasha glanced skeptically at the newcomer. 'Great,' he thought. 'A reporter.'

Aloud, he said, "Why the hell are you over here? Nothing's happening."

Andrew Vaughn sighed. Tucking his pen behind his ear, he spoke, "That's not the story. That's a show put on for the news crews. The story is inside that building, with those kids who are probably too young to understand what's going on but are terrified anyway."

"Speaking of 'those kids'," another new voice joined the group. "I'd like to get mine out of there."

"Naraku, Kikyou," Kagome smiled absently, eyes darting to the pair before returning to the still screaming figure of Ms. Winslow. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Ignore her," Inuyasha frowned. "She's not all there today."

Tai snorted. "Anyway," he turned to Naraku. "You were saying?"

Naraku's eyes darted from one face to the other. He was confused but he shook it off and continued, "I'd like to get my daughter out of there."

Kikyou spoke calmly, staring at the building, assessing the situation, "We could get in through one of those windows. But to get over there without any trouble, we'd need-"

Kagome cut her off, "A distraction. I'm on it."

Kikyou, very confused, looked from Kagome's retreating figure back to Naraku, "I wasn't thinking distraction…Were you thinking distraction?"

"I was thinking 'shield'," he admitted.

Tai shrugged, "Like he said, she's not all there."

"Where'd she get distraction from?" Miroku turned to Inuyasha, who was watching Kagome intently.

"Oh shit," the hanyou remarked dully. Then, he began a very odd chant of, "Bad idea, _bad_ idea, _very_ bad _idea_!"

They were just about to ask him what the hell he was talking about when Kagome's voice rang out.

"Hey! Hitler-bitch! Remember me?"

Hands on her hips, Kagome had climbed on top of a car to ensure that she'd be seen.

Winslow, her lip curling in a sneer, spoke without the bullhorn, "Unfortunately, yes."

"Aww!" Kagome smiled and shrugged her shoulders cutely. "I'm so delighted!" Then her voice took on a 'Valley-girl' tone, "Anyway, what is up with you? Still pretending to be a leader?"

Winslow's eyes became slits, "Still pretending to be respectable?"

"Ouch," the smile became a pout. "That one hurt."

Massaging his temples, Inuyasha spoke to the rest of the group, "Get inside, I'll make sure she doesn't get her ass killed."

"Just a question," Kagome's voice broke in, innocent and birdlike. "You do know that you're protesting kids who can't even tie their shoes yet, right?"

"A tiger cannot hunt alone for the first period of its life," the imperial blonde sounded bored. "Does that make it any less of a killer later? Darling," she took on a falsely mothering tone. "The thing you need to learn is that corruption knows no boundaries, whether age or class."

"I can tell," Kagome answered flatly. Gesturing to people in the crowd, she continued, "There's like a three-year-old over there and I think this guy's on City Council."

"That was not what I meant."

"Look," Kagome completely dropped the act. She was pissed and showing it. "I don't give a damn what you meant! You've terrified children who have no idea what's going on! Your 'right to free speech' ends where their safety begins and, so help me God, if any one of them is hurt in any way, I will make sure your ass is sued so fast you won't know what hit you! And you can stop with this little 'power rally' right now! You wouldn't even be here if it weren't for the-"

She never got to finish that sentence. Three things happened simultaneously, a black-haired blur knocked her off of the car, a loud 'crack' sounded, and a strange wave of heat passed by her ear.

Kagome barely had time to react before Inuyasha was on his feet, slinging her over his shoulder and taking off running.

"What the hell is your problem!" she began pounding insistently on his back. "Put me down!"

A growl rumbled through him and she found herself unceremoniously dumped on the ground. "As you wish."

Rubbing her bruised backside, she glared at the hanyou, who looked equally pissed off, "I really don't know what your problem is, but I swear you are wearing on my last nerve!"

He raised an eyebrow at that. "_I'm_ on _your_ last nerve?" he scoffed. "You stupid, selfish bit-"

"There they are!" apparently, fifty of the mob had been angry enough to give chase.

Rising, Kagome glanced at the mob, then turned to Inuyasha, a hopeful expression on her face, "Run now? Fight later?"

In response, he grabbed her hand and began running, not really caring where he was headed. That was working out fine…Until he led them into a dead end alley.

Kagome stared at him blankly, "Now what, genius?"

The mob was about three hundred feet away.

"This is entirely _your_ fault!" Inuyasha exploded.

"My fault?" Kagome yanked her hand away from him, her back to the mob.

"Yeah," he turned and glared down at her. "If you'd just listen for once-"

Two hundred feet.

"I did! They needed to get in the building! To get in they needed-"

"A shield!" he cut her off. "A _shield_! Not some suicidal moron jumping on a car!"

"So…What?" they were nearly nose to nose and the mob was only about a hundred feet away. "You think I can just fling my arm out," she threw an arm out towards the oncoming mob, "and create a shield!"

Peering over the top of her head, Inuyasha allowed a small smirk. The mob was now encased in a shimmering pink bubble. Even better, every time one of them pounded on it, they got a jolt.

"As a matter of fact," he looked back down at the singer. "I do."

"Good," she smiled. "'Cause I can. Head back?"

"Yeah, only, let's try going in the back?"

"Sounds good."

* * *

"Have a nice run?" Tai asked the two climbing in the broken window. 

His son ever-so-eloquently flipped him off, while Kagome merely smiled brightly, saying, "Uh-huh! And how are you guys?"

"Been better," the professor shrugged.

Turning serious, the singer asked, "How are the kids?"

"Scared," Tai swallowed. "Very, very scared."

"Kikyou's helping them?"

He nodded.

"Can we move?" Inuyasha's very annoyed voice reached them.

Kagome gave him a slight glare, then turned back to Tai. "Do you have an 'arrogant jerk' personality buried somewhere? 'Cause I know that did not come from his mother."

Tai's analysis of 'very, very scared' wasn't quite accurate. The children, over a hundred in number, huddled together in one corner of the gym next to their teachers, Vaughn, Kikyou, Miroku, and Naraku (who made a rather cute picture holding his daughter), screamed when three other adults entered the room.

Then, realizing who it was, Shippo squirmed away from the group and bounded into Kagome's arms. Lip quivering, he announced, "I don't like this one, Momma."

Holding him close, she murmured, "Sweetie, it's only the second day…This is just a really bad day for everyone."

The four finally made their way over to the other adults in the room.

"I'm merely curious," Miroku raised his hands in a placating gesture. "But what did you mean by 'remember me'?"

"We've met," Kagome answered shortly.

A strict-but-kindly-looking woman spoke up, "Now that your friends have arrived, why don't we work out a system?" Her voice had a downward inflection that proved calming. "We'll need two to bring something back from the kitchen; the children will be calmer if they have something to eat. They," she gestured to Kikyou and Naraku, "are already keeping them in one area. And we'll need to set up a watch on the roof, to tell us if they leave or decide to 'storm' the school."

"I can do that," Kagome offered, still holding Shippou.

"Not alone," Inuyasha snapped immediately. "You'd find some way to get yourself hurt."

"What?" she whirled on him. "You don't thi-"

"He's right," the other woman cut her off. "It would be best if two went." She smiled now, "And since you two volunteered: through the double doors there's a concession area, the stairway on the right leads to the roof."

* * *

The fifty morons were probably hopelessly lost; they hadn't come back yet. Winslow was still posturing, but she seemed to have lost some of her steam. The news crews, however, were still eating up every word. 

Kagome, sitting on the gravel covering the rooftop, rolled her eyes. "Pain in the ass neo-nazis…"

The hanyou, crouched next to her, snorted.

The two stayed quiet for a moment before Inuyasha asked a question that had been bothering him.

"What the hell did you mean 'I know he didn't get that from his mother'?"

"I said it to get you to shut up. End of story."

"And why did I see her when-" he broke off.

"When that drunk jumped onstage?"

"Yeah."

"It was a glamour," she explained. "A way to keep me from being recognized. Some people saw a woman they loved dearly, others saw a woman they felt needed to forgive them," she shrugged, then smiled gently. "Her death wasn't your fault."

He turned suddenly and fixed her with a hard glare, "You know jack shit about my mother."

Still softly smiling, she answered, "I know that she loved you and wouldn't want you to blame yourself."

He 'keh'd and turned away, "If I hear one more person say that, I'll rip their fucking throat out."

"Hey, at least _your_ mother remembered you!" she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth.

Kagome expected him to call her on it and start a conversation that she _really_ did not want started, but instead he asked, "Who's Souta?"

"What?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her. "You said his name, and then Tero said you 'followed' him into the forest. Who is he?"

"He was my brother," she said softly. "He died in a car accident."

"Alright," he nodded slowly. "Now I'm confused."

"How do you follow someone who's dead?" Kagome ventured.

"Exactly."

"It's a miko thing."

"Explain."

"Kikyou sees energies, emotions," she started. "She can sense when someone is disturbed and she can calm them. It's almost like they're meditating. I see shades, memories. I can make them disappear, but it's only temporary…Really temporary. Two weeks at most."

Inuyasha was completely lost. "So, you're more powerful than Kikyou?"

"No!" she said quickly. "God, no. She- she can do things I could never do if I trained for a million years. She's been able to crystallize her power, she can tell what others are thinking just by looking at them, she can form this- this blanket that, well, I have no clue what the hell it does, but it's kept so many fights from starting, it's unreal."

"Hero worship?" he grinned slightly.

"No," she gave a small, sad smile that, for some reason, bothered him. "I just know that she's better than I am."

Then the self-pitying look was gone and she was cheerful again, "Hey! They're leaving!"

* * *

**_Well, they're getting along...Trust me, the whole not-quite-a-heart-to-heart convo deal will play in...What else are two semi-claustrophobic/mild-insomniacs going to do on a tourbus late at night? Perverts need not answer._**

**_Oh and as for the mention of Hiten...I rather like making him a villain...But at the same time, I pity Manten...I'm very, very weird...I'm also very, very tired and my meds are beginning to make me loopy...er...So, goodnight all, and review please!_**


	12. AN: Dictionary

….Alrighty…I know it's been a while and I'm not going to whine about the damn play I had to do…And am, in fact, still doing…But the chap is coming along slowly, so I figured I'd give you guys a bit of a glossary of the music terms that I've been using and will use. I'll try to make it as simple as possible, but the terms won't be in any particular order.

**Note**: a musical tone or sound eg: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A

**Interval**: a difference in pitch or notes

**Fifth**: two notes, five tones apart eg: **A**, B, C, D, **E**

**Octave**: two notes, eight tones apart eg: **C**, D, E, F, G, A, B, **C**

**Vibrato**: controlled 'trembling' of the voice, usually to add warmth and expressiveness, very slight and quick changes of pitch, usually on a held note

**Trill**: a very rapid use of vibrato, eg: Vibrato: C—B—C—B Trill: C-B-C-B

**Warble**: more elaborate than a trill, eg: C-B-C-D-E-C-B

**Tenor**: highest natural male voice, in opera usually the hero/prince; man having such voice, eg: Khan from Kamelot, Clay Aiken, Andrea Bocelli, Rob Halford

**Baritone**: middle male voice, in opera usually a villain or devious character; man having such voice, eg: Garth Brooks, Bo Bice, Gackt, Elvis

**Bass**: lowest male voice, in opera usually a father/advisor figure; man having such voice, eg: Johnny Cash

**Soprano**: highest natural female voice, in opera usually plays a heroine; woman having such voice, eg: Charlotte Church, Tarja Turunen, Sarah Brightman, Sarah McLachlan

**Mezzo-Soprano**: middle female voice, in opera plays the "witches, bitches, and breeches"; woman having such voice, eg: Mary J. Blige, Amy Lee, Tina Turner

**Contralto**: lowest female voice, in opera generally plays a witch; woman having such voice, eg: Marian Anderson, Toni Braxton, Faith Hill, Ann Murray

**Coloratura**: a very flowery or ornate run in music, can be seen in pieces for any voice type

**Coloratura Soprano**: the highest soprano, characterized by a very light, agile voice, eg: The Diva in 'The Fifth Element', Kristin Chenoweth. _Note: In this, Kagome is a Dramatic Coloratura Soprano meaning that she can both perform the quick, high notes needed and hold the more weighty notes…She's a 'weird' soprano…_

**Whistle Register**: the famed 'super head voice'; in females, allows them to musically produce pitches in the sixth octave or higher, eg: Mariah Carey in 'Emotions' _Note: If you find Mariah Carey's whistle grating, don't worry, Kagome won't be going anywhere near those notes (G#7), the highest she'll get is G#6 ( an octave lower and the highest note written for an opera)...Now screaming is another matter..._

**Legato**: a sequence of smooth, connected notes, eg: Christine's part in the ending of "The Phantom of the Opera", the song, before the high note, the intro to "Deep Silent Complete'

**Staccato**: a sequence of very short, clear-cut notes, the opposite of legato

_Piano_: played softly

_Forte:_ played loudly, forcefully

_Pianissimo_: very quietly

_Fortissimo_: very loudly, forcefully

**A Capella**: without backing instruments

**Aria**: a solo vocal piece

**'Candide'**: an operetta, composed in part by Leonard Bernstein, includes what is known as one of the two most difficult 'arias' for a Soprano: Cunegolde's aria "Glitter and Be Gay"

**'The Magic Flute'**: an opera/operetta by Mozart (Oh, C'mon! You all know who that is!) famous for its use of the two extremes of the human voice: the amazingly low bass Sarastro, and the bird-like coloratura of the Queen of the Night.

Ok…That's really all I can think of right now. I'll be adding more as we continue. Now, I have a question for you: Do you want me to end the current chapter just after the Music Comp final, and, incidentally, their first performance as a band? Or do you want a really long chapter, and probably a pretty long wait, that will lead directly into the tour? Just drop me a line with your choice.


	13. Chapter Eleven

_**Oy ve, I get home from New Mexico just to leave again. I've hijacked a computer and am posting simply because this is getting ridiculous. I've been sitting in a 50 degree room for the past three and a half hours, freezing my butt off, staring at a Mac screen. I'm bored. **_

_**I've got nearly forty pages of this chapter finished so far. It isn't quite what I wanted it to be. For one thing, I've still got a crapload of stuff to add. So, when I have the beast known as Windows back, I'll be adding more to this. For now, enjoy what is essentially the first third of the Mega-Chap.**_

**_Kagome gets a bit giddy in this, Inuyasha gets overprotective again, Eri, Yuka and Ayumi put in appearances, Hiten shows up, Jinenji is...Jinenji, meet Kyle._**

_**Disclaimer: I still own nothing. Ghost Love Score belongs to Tuomas Holopainen. The Magic Flute is either Public Domain or belongs to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's estate. Gackt belongs to himself. Kagome and Monique's banter belongs mainly to Julie Andrews and Carole Burnett. Kagome's introduction to Lakme is based on the introduction another soprano gave the same piece. Reference to 10 Things I Hate About You among others.**_

**_Note: In lyrics, italics are Kagome, bold is...Whoever else. On GLS, my formatting got screwed, I had it to where the chorus was at almost the exact timing, but Compy hates me..._**

* * *

"I still can't believe you're 'Tamino'," Kagome shook her head. 

"I can't believe we're all in the same production," Monique added.

"I can't believe you actually auditioned for the 'Königin'," Sal laughed, pointing his fork at Kagome.

The 'Fresh Faces' company was almost a month into rehearsals and, so far, everything was going well.

Unless you counted the fact that the company's 'Pamina' hated Kagome's guts, and the guy playing 'Monostatos' constantly hit on Monique.

Justin, the production's 'Papageno', and Maureen, the aforementioned 'Pamina' were going over their scene and duet right now, so the three friends were free to chat and eat.

"No, no, no!" Stefan, the director, cried out. "You're happy to hear that your mother sent him! Happy!"

Kagome choked on a piece of lettuce and Monique whapped her on the back solidly. "Just because the daughter you had when you were two hates your guts is no reason to be shocked."

Kagome glared at her friend playfully.

"By the way," Sal spoke quickly, waving a hand. "Who is the father?"

After flinging a few random items at him, Kagome sat back in a huff, pouting childishly. "You all hate me."

A few minutes passed before Justin sauntered over and dropped into a chair. He leaned his head back, threw an arm over his eyes, and muttered, "All yours."

"Alright!" Stefan shouted to gain everyone's attention. "Maureen, you're already up there, why don't we run through the mother/daughter scene?"

In response, Maureen crossed her arms angrily and Kagome let out a pitiful whine.

"Oh come on!" Stefan snapped. "Just this last scene, then you can leave."

When the two women were finally on stage together, the fur began to fly. Kind of…

"Oh, _so_ regal, _Mother,_" Maureen taunted. "Did Versace make that flannel?

"Shut up," Kagome retorted smartly…What? Her head hurt…

"Owwie!" Maureen pouted sarcastically. "That was harsh! Did it take you long to think it up?"

Kagome glared at her. Thank God Maureen was a decent actress and singer or Kagome would have been really tempted to kill her.

"Would you two knock it off already?" Kurt, the bass playing 'Sarastro', called from his place off-stage.

Rolling their eyes, the women finally began reading the scene.

It was about that time that a very annoyed hanyou, trailed by a rather giddy Rin and the ever-stoic Sesshomaru, meandered into the auditorium.

Monique, recognizing the hanyou, waved them over.

"I've always hated German," Inuyasha muttered, collapsing into a chair next to Justin. "What the hell's going on anyway?"

"Kagome's trying to get her daughter to kill someone," Monique gave him the condensed version.

Rin was busy staring at the stage with a dazed look, "'The Magic Flute'! Oh, I've always loved this one!"

Kagome's voice cut off any smart remark Inuyasha could have made about that. "Siest du hier diesen Stahl?" she paused for a second, then asked, "D'you want me to run through the dagger thing now? They got bored the other day and choreographed it."

Stefan nodded dumbly. Who'd done what?

Kurt, who happened to be near the 'prop buffet', tossed the 'dagger' prop onto the stage.

Kagome picked it up and began displaying it to Maureen as she completed her lines.

Rin's eyes grew large. "Tell me she's going to do it?"

"What?" Sal grinned. "Kill her? No."

Monique swatted at him, hiding her own smile. "She'll sing it."

She did, in fact, sing 'it'...'It' was actually a bit eerie to Inuyasha. The melody and the vocals actually sounded kinda happy, but there was the coldest expression, not to mention one of the ugliest sneers he'd ever seen, on Kagome's face.

She was also, worryingly, overly fixated on that dagger.

He finally asked when, during a rather bird-like vocalization, she actually caressed the damn thing, "What's with the blade?"

"It's the only thing that'll kill the priest," Rin was grinning.

Moving ever so subtly away from his brother's fiancée, Inuyasha returned his attention to the stage…Where Kagome was brandishing the weapon and circling the other woman, still wearing the sneer and singing something undoubtedly threatening given the way the other was reacting.

When she stopped circling and began another odd vocalization, he piped up again, "Is she…Laughing?"

"More like cackling madly," Sal supplied. "Evil genius, plan coming together, that type thing."

Whatever it was, it was over now. Kagome had stopped circling, stopped vocalizing, and was now offering the dagger, cradled in her hands, to the other woman. The woman looked to the dagger, then at Kagome, and shook her head, falling to her knees, burying her face in her hands.

Kagome merely sneered again and, facing the audience, raised the dagger towards the ceiling. An offering to some angry god. Then, once again brandishing it, she turned it towards herself, singing something about a 'Mutter', which was probably the first word out of the whole thing that Inuyasha'd understood.

Then she was silent. Suddenly, she turned and, furiously, stabbed the blade into an unwitting set piece. After one last scathing look at the other woman onstage, she stormed off.

Monique and Sal simultaneously threw their hands into the air in triumph. "Finally!" they both shouted.

Justin simply stood and stretched. "See ya," he called, walking out.

"I told you this would be a good idea," Rin muttered to Sesshomaru. "See, it's not boring, is it?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to disagree when a flannel-clothed blur latched onto his neck from behind.

"Nice boyfriend, bitch," the woman onstage snarked.

"Why the hell are you hugging me?" the hanyou was seriously considering sending Kagome to a psychiatrist.

"I just realized you look like Gackt!" the unusually chipper singer announced.

"I look like a cross-dressing J-Popper?" Inuyasha snorted. "You just made my day."

Releasing his neck to swat the back of his head, Kagome pouted, "J-Rocker, not J-Popper. And Gackt is hot."

"Still," he protested. "There's the whole 'cross-dressing' issue."

Turning to the two other women near her, Kagome whined, "Rin, Monique, back me up here?"

Monique tilted her head, assessing. "Mmm…I dunno."

Rin, on the other hand, immediately chirped, "I've been telling him that forever!"

"Sess," Inuyasha was very close to twitching. "Get these crazy women away from me."

"And risk them attacking me?" Sesshomaru smirked slightly and rose. "Not likely."

The group slowly made their way out of the auditorium, Kagome and Inuyasha bickering the whole way while Rin and Monique nudged Sesshomaru and Sal.

After swatting Kagome's hand away from his ears for at least the tenth time, Inuyasha let out a slight growl.

Still weirdly happy, Kagome squealed, "The puppy purrs!" Then she reached for his ear again.

This time grabbing her hand, Inuyasha snarled exasperatedly, "Bitch, what did I tell you about sugar!"

Before Kagome could answer, or giggle, Maureen's coldly amused voice came. "Well, well. I may not have gotten the part," the soprano wound her arm around her boyfriend Hiten's neck. "But at least I didn't get the abusive boyfriend."

Instead of glaring at the other woman, as Monique was doing, or even raising an eyebrow, like Rin, Kagome began to laugh. Hysterically. Her knees practically collapsed under her and she leaned on Inuyasha's shoulder for support.

"That's-" a giggle, "-a good one." Snort. "Tell me another-" insane laughter.

"What is she on and where did she get it?" Sal wondered aloud.

Finally calming down, Kagome fanned her face, saying, "One, he is, for the fiftieth time, _not_ my boyfriend! Two…" she paused for a long while, staring at Hiten. "Just wait."

Then, miraculously recovered, she marched off.

Swallowing hard, Hiten tugged on his newest conquest's arm. "Let's go, Maury."

"Well," Rin forced a smile. "That was awkward."

Inuyasha wasn't so tactful. "What the hell was that about?"

Sesshomaru saw an opportunity to annoy his brother and took it. "She's your woman, you ask her."

Much screaming, hollering, and denying later, Inuyasha, Rin, Sesshomaru, and Kagome were all piled into what Inuyasha had termed 'Sesshomaru's Money-Mobile'.

"What was that?" the hanyou glared at the singer from across the back seat.

"What was what?" she gave him the most innocent expression she could muster, then turned her attention to the interior of the car. "This is…Nice…What is it exactly?"

"Leather," Inuyasha answered shortly. "Stop changing the subject."

Dropping the act, Kagome sighed. "Look, if you want the whole story, ask Kouga! Or, better yet, ask Sango!"

* * *

Sango was more than slightly surprised to find herself detained by a rather frustrated-looking hanyou. 

"Tall guy," his speech was unusually clipped. "Black hair. Braided. Knows Kagome. Details, now."

The demon exterminator stared at him, confused, until the description clicked in her mind. "When did you meet Hiten?"

"I didn't. Not the point. Details."

"Well," Sango settled into a chair, resigning herself to being late to Sesshomaru's 'surprise meeting'. "He's an ass for one…"

* * *

Kagome was trying to listen to what the tour manager was saying, honest. But it's rather hard to concentrate on anything when a golden-eyed, dog-eared hanyou won't stop staring at you. 

"…New dates…" the imp of a tour manager was chattering. "Overseas…"

Now more than slightly annoyed, Kagome kicked at the hanyou's leg underneath the table. He merely raised an eyebrow.

"What is your problem?" she hissed.

His lip twitched in what was either a grin or a snarl, but, other than that, nothing.

"…Japan…"the imp continued, giving them a slight glare.

"Would you quit it?" the hiss turned into a furious whisper. "You're freaking me out!"

"Something you'd like to share?" Kagome was honestly five seconds from throwing the imp out the closest window.

"Can it, toad," Inuyasha's voice was flat. Then, when he addressed Kagome, there was a slight snarl, "What the fuck happened with that asshole?"

Sputtering, the imp/toad began an incoherent rant that was stopped when a slightly amused Sesshomaru muttered, "Jaken."

David, who'd heard the entire spiel about the new concerts at Tokyo and Ruisrock, nudged Thom awake. James, having heard pretty much every argument the pair had had, rolled his eyes.

Kagome glared at Kouga, who shrugged, and then at Sango. "I cannot believe you told him!"

Irritated at being ignored, the hanyou snapped his fingers in front of the singer's face. "ADD girl! You _told_ me to ask her! Now, what the fuck happened?"

Naraku, sensing an oncoming World War in the form of the two bandmates, stood quickly, asking, "Who wants coffee?"

After everyone else had left with some lame excuse, Sango leaned back in her chair and watched the verbal ping-pong match. 'My god,' she laughed silently. 'They're like three-year-olds…'

"I'm not telling you!" Kagome finally shrieked.

"And why the hell not?" the hanyou bellowed back.

"Because!" she floundered for a response. "Why do you want to know?"

"I just-" his mouth snapped shut. Then, quietly, he added, "Keh, forget it, wench."

Silence reigned for a few seconds before Kagome spoke again, "Tomorrow, Uni auditorium, 10:30?"

Nodding, Inuyasha said shortly, "Sounds good."

"Dinner?"

The hanyou shrugged and the two left, leaving Sango with more than a few questions.

* * *

Erianna, or Eri for short, was beginning to understand why Yuka hadn't been able to reach Kagome for the past year…Kagome simply didn't want to be found. 

"And Michael is soooo gorgeous," Yuka trilled. "And he totally looked at me in class!"

Ayumi rolled her eyes and shook her head good-naturedly. Despite being almost ready to graduate from college, Yuka still had the same mentality she'd had in high school.

"Anyway," Yuka waved a hand. "What's new with- Oh my God!"

Eri and Ayumi followed her glance. A young, ebony-haired woman was trying to tug an amused, silver-haired man, with the most adorable ears, out of the building.

"Oh my God! Kagome!" Yuka was already on her feet, moving towards the pair.

The other woman took a very deep breath before pasting on a smile, "Yuka! Long time no see!"

"I knew it!" Yuka wasted no time in latching onto Kagome's wrist and hauling her over to the table.

Eri and Ayumi both gave her sympathetic gazes when Yuka shoved her into a chair and began the interrogation.

"Why didn't you answer your phone?" Yuka could be really intimidating when she glared.

"Erm," Kagome bit her lip, stalling. "Forgot to pay the bill?"

Hazel eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch more.

"Didn't recognize the number?" the suddenly meek miko squeaked.

The eyes were now extremely dangerous slits.

"Busy?"

"You're in my seat," an annoyed voice came from over her shoulder.

Pursing her lips in a mock pout, Kagome told him, "Pull up a chair."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. Looking at the already overfull two-seater, he asked, "Where, exactly?"

Glancing around the table, Kagome realized she had a way out. "Fine, take it," she stood. "I only came to talk to Tyson anyway."

"Who?" four voices chimed.

"And here are your-" Hojo arrived, carrying a tray of drinks. "Oh, Kagome. You're not on duty today…Unless I missed-"

"There was no memo," Kagome cut him off, fidgeting slightly. "Where's Ty? I need to talk to him."

"He's," Hojo trailed off, looking around for the elusive owner. "Around."

Muttering something, the singer massaged her temples. "Fine! I'm going to look for him. You!" she pointed to Inuyasha. "Stay here. You three!" she gestured to her old friends. "Be nice." And then she was gone.

Almost as soon as she was out of hearing range, the three women turned to the hanyou. "Story. Now," they demanded.

* * *

Kagome had no sooner returned from giving Tyson what amounted to a 'Two Months' Notice' when a shell-shocked hanyou yanked her into his lap, held her there with two hands on her shoulders, and, as macho as could be under the circumstances, cowered behind her. Kagome merely arched an eyebrow and sighed. 

Eyeing her friends, Yuka in particular, she asked, "What did you do? You've got him clingy."

Squawking indignantly, the three women protested, "We didn't do anything!"

Still cowering, Inuyasha managed to snarl, "Why didn't you tell me I'd need a damn human shield around them?"

The singer let out a light laugh and twisted a hand behind her to begin playing with his hair. Naturally, he growled at the action, but, unwilling to give up his only form of defense against the 'New Spanish Inquisition', he put up with it.

Yuka grinned only somewhat maniacally.

Eri, a bit unnerved by Yuka's impression of a mad scientist, spoke up, "I hear there's some interesting entertainment here…"

"Mmm," Kagome shrugged, supplying her standard excuse. "She's probably taking the night off, something big going on tomorrow. Maybe after that she'll show up."

Before either Eri or Ayumi could say anything, Yuka chimed sweetly, "So, Kagome. You're working with Hojou, any romance there?"

"Don't even start," Kagome warned, half to her old friend and half to the hanyou who'd begun growling in earnest.

* * *

It was 11:15, about fifteen minutes to 'show time', and everyone was preparing in their own way: Miroku was trying, operative word 'trying', to chat up Sango, which resulted in a lovely fuchsia handprint emblazoned on his cheek; Naraku was reading Edgar Allen Poe; Inuyasha and Kouga were playing off each other to make sure that both of the guitars were tuned; and Kagome was standing off to the side, bent over to where her hair was pooling on the floor. 

"No, that's a G," Kouga shook his head.

"That's what I'm doing," Inuyasha narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know what the hell that is, but it ain't a G!"

The hanyou strummed the chord again. "It's a fucking G! The guitar's downtuned!"

"Oh," Kouga smiled nervously, remembering the handwritten note 'Dropped D'. "Right."

There was a high-pitched squeak, followed by a gasped "Shit!" and Kagome bolted for an exit.

The four men watched her streak past. Kouga shrugged and called out, "Sango! You're on duty!"

Sango simply rolled her eyes and pointed to her watch.

* * *

Kagome waved meekly at the crowd in the Recital Hall. "Hi. I know you guys are just getting comfortable, but I need you to follow me." 

No one moved.

"Um," she cleared her throat. "Please?"

Making a great show of packing up his things, the second chair cello was the first to react. The rest of the orchestra followed, soon joined by the choir, the audience and, finally, the judges.

Feeling very much like an airline stewardess, Kagome smiled, chiming a somewhat snippy, "Right this way!"

The walk only took about three minutes; it was the set-up that was going to take a while. Glaring at his co-workers half-heartedly, Michael, the percussionist began reassembling his instruments.

While everyone else was preparing, Kagome was busy fielding questions from three very disgruntled judges.

"Was this absolutely necessary?" one judge, a young man with somewhat unruly brown hair, snapped.

"Yes," Kagome answered simply, a placating smile appearing on her lips.

"Why?" the second judge, a middle-aged, motherly woman, shot the first a warning glare.

"Unfortunately, what needs to be set up is not accommodated by the Recital Hall facility," the singer recited. Then, grinning lightly, she clarified, "It means we won't fit."

The third judge, an older man with a taste for new things, smiled. Teasing slightly, he asked, "And what's needed?"

"I was hoping someone would ask that," the grin became a genuine smile. "We need space…And amps, mics, oh, and speakers…But mostly space."

The judges all exchanged glances, but none said anything.

"Well," Kagome looked to the conductor and the choir director. Receiving nods, she concluded, "We're ready to begin."

Leonard Handel, the eldest of the three judges, watched curiously as the young woman shot glances at the three men on either side of her, receiving a shrug and two slight nods, before turning completely around to face the man somewhat hidden behind a large drum set.

The two exchanged words, too low for Leo to hear, the woman pointed to the conductor, the man gave a short nod, grinned, said something, and laughed as the woman turned back around, red-faced.

The conductor began his count.

The first thing Leo noticed was, rather than creating a sort of 'Requiem' feel as two earlier students had, she had instead followed the pattern of an overture. Beginning simply, with only a drum beat backing the sharp notes of the chorus, she allowed the music to build, slowly adding in sweeping strings and majestic horns, before the harsh sound of the distorted guitars arrived to both set the mood and to offset the delicate sounds of the orchestra. Now 'free', the strings set off on a grand run.

It was nearly a minute into the piece before the tempo slowed to a moderate 4/4 and the woman moved to the mic. Leo's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew about these egotistic composers who thought the only ones who could truly perform their work were themselves.

Next to him, Julia sighed. "Give her a chance."

He merely shot her a look.

"_We used to swim the same moonlight waters"_

The quiet, almost dazed, soprano broke into his attempt at a retort. The woman was still at the mic, looking rather melancholy.

"_Oceans away from the wakeful day"_

Julia gave him a pointed look just before the tempo kicked up again and the choir began its chant, the light, nearly ethereal voice floating over them.

" _My  
_**My fall will be for you  
****My love will be in you  
**_Fall  
_**If you be the one to  
**_Will be  
_**Cut me I'll bleed forever  
****My fall will be for you  
****My love will be in you  
**_For__ You  
_**If you be the one to  
****Cut me I'll bleed forever"**

Leo's hand began moving of its own accord, making notes as he watched the stage intently. The abnormally light-haired guitarist had crossed the stage and was muttering something to the other guitarist, occasionally shooting glances at the singer. The dark haired man merely smiled secretively.

"_Scent of the sea before the waking of the world  
__Brings me to thee, into the blue memory"_

Gentle woodwinds underscored the brief verse before the group flew back into the chorus. This time, though, the conspiring guitarists seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely, headbanging as they were.

Julia, he noticed, stifled what was either a giggle or a coo.

Women were odd.

He would have commented, but the woman onstage distracted him with what sounded very much like an operatic line.

"_Into the blue memory"_

Then, with only faint horns, strings and a light synth behind her, she switched to a more singspiel tone.

"_A siren from the deep came to me  
__Sang my name my longing  
__Still I write my songs about that dream of mine  
__Worth everything I may ever be"_

She looked…Dazed, he concluded, simply staring through everything. While she took a breath to continue, the drums reappeared, playing a small lead-in with the bass. Then the piano took over, a simple, delicate melody to underscore the next stanza.

"_The child will be born again  
__That siren carried him to me"_

A small, odd smile had appeared on her face as her hand reached out slightly towards an unseen figure. The pale-haired guitarist had crossed the stage again and was watching the singer with an expression midway between worried and amused.

_"First of them true loves  
Singing on the shoulders of an angel  
Without care for love_ _'n loss"_

The piano melody ended with a scale run just after the last line, and, as if she thought the piece weren't different enough, she had added a guitar solo. Brief, but melodic, it both served the purpose of closing out the first section and bringing in the next.

While the guitar's last note hung in the air, the strings took up a low melodic interlude that built gradually until the choir rejoined, this time in a gentle legato vocalization. Soon the band had rejoined, turning the tempo into a waltz.

Swaying lightly, the woman regained her position in front of the mic. Leo blinked; he hadn't even seen her move.

Julia shifted in her chair. He heard her murmur something under her breath.

"_Bring me home or leave me be  
__My love in the dark heart of the night"_

"Oh, hush!" Julia shushed Nick, the young upstart who'd been sour all day.

Nick retaliated, juvenilely of course, by sticking out his tongue.

The woman took no heed of what was happening at the judges table, and, still looking out of it, stretched a hand out in front of her.

"_I have lost the path before me  
__The one behind will lead me"_

As the verse repeated, a lone soprano provided harmonies, dropping out on the last line as the seemingly bewildered woman allowed her voice to 'fall'. 1

There was silence for perhaps a split second before the strings picked up in a rapid, repeating melody that would not have been out of place in a psychological thriller.

Backed by short drumbeats, the choir began a staccato chant, at once beautiful and eerie.

"**Take me  
****Cure me  
****Kill me  
****Bring me home"**

Gradually, ever so gradually, they began climbing up the scale.

The dark-haired guitarist jerked his head towards the singer and the pale-haired one nodded, in turn mouthing something to the singer, who smiled briefly.

"**Every way  
****Every day  
****Just another loop in the hangman's noose"**

The music returned to the waltz time count, the guitars adding a harsh element to the rhythm. As if on cue, the woman began her own sharp, staccato echo of the choir's chants, only now, her voice seemed desperate; her expression caught between pleading and frightened.

"_Take me, cure me, kill me, bring me home"_

Her hands flew to the sides of her head and she shook it forcefully, squeezing her eyes shut to block out the image of…something.

"_Every way, every day  
__I keep on watching us sleep"_

Her hands slowly moved from her head, her eyes panicked. Timidly, she began to stretch out a hand.

"_Relive the old sin of Adam and Eve  
__Of you-"_

The hand was drawn back quickly, as though burned.

"_-and me  
__Forgive the adoring beast"_

It truly was a fascinating show. While the woodwinds and strings played something that could only be called 'modern Renaissance', the woman had spun to where she was facing away from the audience. Leo saw her hand push itself through her hair as she took a very deep breath, both guitarists watching her warily.

Finally, one of them said something …And Leo found that, at the moment, he'd kill to be able to read lips.

The bombast had returned. The winds and horns spun down only to have the strings fight their way back up. Once they reached their destination, the group on stage leapt back in, though the woman was still facing the back of the stage.

And the choir was not to be forgotten. They'd returned to the quick, sharp notes of the beginning, and, if one listened hard enough, there was another voice accompanying them.

The choir stopped and the woman turned, backed by the drummer.

"_Redeem me into childhood  
__Show me myself without the shell"_

She didn't look frightened now. A soft smile bloomed on her face as she continued.

"_Like the advent of May  
__I'll be there when you say  
__Time could never hold our love"_

The chorus had returned. The orchestration was mostly the same, the woman's voice was still flowing over the sound of the choir, but there was something…Off… Not so off that it was bad, mind you, just something that tickled the back of Leo's mind. Something different…And it wasn't the fact that Nick had shut up, either.

After the second repeat, the woman's voice rose and then dropped out. As the strings picked up and she moved to stand off to the side, Leo found out what was bothering him.

"**-love will be in you  
****You were the one to cut me  
****So now I'll bleed forever"**

The choir continued its chant, repeating. The band continued its rhythm. The strings however were following their own pattern, offsetting the others.

Again, she'd differed from the pattern several had used. Rather than gradually slow to a stop, the piece kept the pace right to the very end, which was quite abrupt.

Everyone onstage froze for a split second. Then the pale-haired guitarist ruined the moment by nudging the singer playfully. She countered by gently pulling his hair before the darker guitarist swung her around, laughing. The three were soon joined by the drummer, who had jumped down from his perch. The keyboardist, however, shook his head and muttered something to someone offstage.

Julia, who was having a grand time watching the group, was rather annoyed when Nick interrupted.

"Excuse me," he sniped. "We aren't finished."

The woman shot a warning glance at the pale-haired one when he muttered something that the judges couldn't hear.

Leo rolled his eyes before adding gently, "We just need a couple more questions answered."

The woman, smiling, answered gamely, "Shoot."

Julia cut Nick off, "Where did you find inspiration for the piece?"

The woman's smile faltered slightly, "Life, I guess."

A muffled curse came from the wings.

Sparing a glance in the voice's direction, she continued, "Soundtracks."

Seeing Nick open his mouth again, Leo spoke quickly. "And who are your friends up there?"

The woman looked around. "These weirdoes? Oh, they're just a bunch of very talented people that I happen to work with."

Nick was too quick this time, "Names?"

Miroku, who hadn't failed to notice Inuyasha's obvious dislike of the third judge, muttered, "Down boy."

Naraku, who had paused in helping Tero dismantle the setup, spoke first, "Naraku Wynd."

"Kouga Oakam."

"Miroku Shizukesu."

Inuyasha would have been perfectly content to stay quiet and continue glaring at the man but Kagome was eyeing him, silently begging him not to screw this up…That and Miroku was digging a drumstick into his back. "Inuyasha Mamoru."

Nick's brows shot up. "Mamoru? Any relation to-"

"Half-brothers," Kagome interrupted, then grinned nervously. "Anything else?"

Julia smiled reassuringly. "Did you always plan for…" she tapered off, unsure of what to say.

"The band?" Kagome guessed. At the woman's nod, she shrugged. "Yeah. I was always hoping they'd agree. I mean, I planned for just the choir and the orchestra too, just in case, but-"

Miroku gave his trademarked Innocent Grin #47. "She bribed us."

Kagome shot him a glare. "Since I have infinite money in my bank account," she rolled her eyes.

Miroku's grin didn't change. "I don't recall any money…"

* * *

Madame could be creepy, Kagome concluded. She'd materialized out of nowhere while the judges were still questioning. After several pointed remarks, the woman had simply announced that Kagome had best be there early the next morning because the rehearsal for her recital with Monique was going to be very long. 

Kagome mentally translated that into 'You two are in big trouble.'… Probably because they hadn't turned in the program.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. They'd turned in _a_ program, a ridiculously simplistic program, just to keep her off their backs while they worked on the real program. Speaking of which…

Kagome glared at the seemingly innocent piece of paper in front of her. 'Où va la jeune Hindoue', 'Je suis Titania', and 'Les oiseaux dans la charmille' stared back. Three coloratura arias that had no place being anywhere near each other…And all in French. She could just see Monique cackling as she selected them.

She sighed. She'd have more than enough time to strangle the mezzo tomorrow. For now, she had someone to call.

Someone she should have called a long time ago.

* * *

"_Run!" his mother's voice echoed in his ears. "Go!"_

_He did. Fleeing, he heard his mother screech out, "He's not here! Oh, poor you!"_

_The sharp crack of a gun and a cut-off scream caused him to turn. The group was slowly filing out of his home. He stood frozen for a moment, the implications of the last thirty seconds running through his mind. _

_He was about to charge back toward the house, to do what, he didn't know, when the home he'd shared with his mother all his life suddenly erupted in flames._

Jinenji woke abruptly. Sitting up, the Psychology major looked to his clock. 4:07. Too early to call.

Stumbling out of his bedroom, he made his way to the kitchen. No point in trying to sleep now, he figured.

Retrieving an apple from his fridge and making a note to go shopping, the hanyou began methodically working through his memories, sorting what he knew had really happened from what seemed to have happened.

Facts: There was a raid on his home. His mother encouraged him to flee. He'd fled. She'd taunted the group. There had been a scream and a gunshot. The house had burned. He'd run to- His answering machine was blinking.

Frowning, Jinenji moved to it, pressed the 'play' button, and waited.

"You have one new message. Today at 1:19 AM."

That earned a raised eyebrow. Who called that late? Or was it early?

"Jinenji?" she seemed cautious. "God, I hope this is the right number."

Kagome had called. She sounded less…broken…than she had the last time he'd spoken to her. Of course, that had been when she was still healing from the Hiten debacle.

"I know I haven't called in a while and I'm sorry," there was mumbling in the background and a muffled 'In a moment, sweetie' before she continued. "I have a recital tomorrow, well, today really, and I know the whole 'Opera' bit isn't really your thing, but if you wanted to eat afterwards…" a yawn. The ensuing sentences seemed rushed. "Mister- Professor Mamoru's offered to have a sort of catch-up dinner. Kouga, Kagura, Sango, Kikyou, everyone's going and I…I just…_Perkele!_ I just wanted to know if you'd be there. I miss talking to you. I just wanted to see you again, before-"

He nearly cursed the beep that signaled the end of the message.

Kyle tilted his head. When he'd started dating him, Kyle had been convinced that Salvatore Cardona was quite sane…Now, well…

"No, love," his boyfriend giggled. "I can't save you…No, I know that…" a mad cackle. "Call someone else to save you!"

Kyle narrowed his eyes. Sidling up behind his lover, he wrapped his arm around the tenor's waist.

"Oh, of course, darling!" Sal crooned. "I'm sure both of you need a," he paused, letting out a suggestive cough, "break."

The blonde raised an eyebrow at that, moving to rest his head on the other man's shoulder. Now, he could hear some of what was being said on the other line.

"Perv!" a decidedly feminine voice shrieked. "…Not….Sex…. Kouga…"

"Oh, do!" Sal goaded. "Just take pictures for me!"

He disconnected the line. Sighing, Sal tossed the phone on the counter of the small kitchen. "I swear, that girl _needs _to get laid."

Not moving, Kyle queried, "Kouga?"

"Nah, he's taken," Sal smiled. "Good eye candy, though."

Pulling away, the green-eyed college student pouted playfully. "You need eye candy?"

"Hey, none of that" Sal turned, giving his lover a gentle kiss. "Besides, you get Depp. I get Kouga."

Kyle laughed slightly, returning the kiss.

The two men remained liplocked for a few moments, simply enjoying each other's presence, before Sal broke away.

"C'mon," he gave another light kiss. "She's got that thing tonight and she'll be Bitch-zilla if we don't show…"

"Dinner?"

A laugh signaled the acceptance of terms.

_

* * *

Remember me  
__Remember me  
__But, ah, forget my fate_

The blue-haired Dido begged the audience. Monique was coming to the end of her program.

'But….Ten!' Kagome remembered her friend saying when she finally saw the program. It had taken a bit of pouting, but Monique had finally accepted the list. Then she'd turned the tables.

Kagome had gone fairly easy on Monique when selecting pieces. The mezzo had already performed almost all of them, they were fairly well known, and most ran about three minutes. Monique had not been so kind. Sure, there were fewer pieces, but most ran at least six minutes. Kagome had performed perhaps two of them, but that was alright, she'd had two months to learn the others. And naturally, they were well-known…Notorious was more like it.

Kagome had been about to murder the other woman when Monique had graciously pointed out that, while she had not included Lucia's 'mad scene', she would be more than happy to do so.

"And of course," Monique's voice broke into her thoughts. "It's tradition in a split recital to have a duet. So, if my partner-in-crime hasn't ditched me, she'll be joining me for the next piece."

Kagome sighed and left the wings. Moving to stand beside Monique on the stage, she quipped, "You rang, Mistress?"

Monique grinned. "And if you look carefully, ladies and gentlemen, you'll see a rare creature!"

Kagome froze. Looking around her slowly, she raised a hand and pointed to herself in question.

The mezzo nodded. "The soprano who willingly gives up the spotlight!" she finished.

Pulling out the pencil 'holding' her gelled and sprayed hair in a twist, Kagome pretended to make a note on her hand. In a stage whisper she read off what she 'wrote'. "Never…Give…Monique…Caffeine…Again…."

Nodding as though satisfied and replacing the pencil, Kagome smiled at Monique. The other woman narrowed her eyes.

"This next piece is the song of Godiva and British Airways," Monique turned back to the assembled crowd.

Kagome pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's about _flowers,_" she corrected.

"And flowers," the blue-haired vocalist conceded. "It's probably the most well known piece in the program."

Pointedly, Kagome interjected, "Without further ado, 'The Flower Duet' from Lakmé."

Kagome knew exactly why Monique didn't care for this piece. It was slow, flowing, pretty…And pointless.

The piece's only point in the plot of the opera it came from was to show that the women wanted protection for the title character's father and to get them out of the way so a bunch of Brits could come admire said title character's jewelry.

After the five minutes of 'sleep-therapy' opera, Monique curtsied and urged Kagome to do the same. Moving to stand closer to her friend, Kagome did. The crowd, recognizing the signal, began to applaud politely.

When the two performers rose, Monique feigned irritation, whispering loudly and harshly, "Get out of my spotlight."

While the audience, those who got the joke anyway, laughed, Kagome pretended to be frightened and scampered out of Monique's 'personal bubble'.

Nodding sharply, satisfied, Monique thanked those assembled for coming, promised to return, and handed the program over to Kagome, saying that she had just enough time to get to Starbucks before it closed.

"Oooh!" Maria Veln, the accompanist grinned. "Bring me a grande Mocha Frappe please!"

Monique, walking off the stage, waved a hand over her shoulder. To Kagome she called, "Don't forget your 'woo-woo's!"

The audience laughed again. Kagome was genuinely confused. "'Woo-woo's?" she muttered, casting a somewhat frightened glance over her shoulder.

Maria smiled, clueless.

Shuddering, Kagome started her half of the program.

"Normally, we'd let you guys out for intermission," she shrugged. "But since our combined programs are only about an hour, we'll just have a little 'party' at the end and call it even.

"As Monique explained earlier, in choosing the programs we tried not to stick to common recital pieces. We wanted to do something a bit more challenging. You've probably noticed that there are a few odd choices; this next one is one of them.

"'Lakmé' is an opera that, while filled with beautiful music, is a bit lacking in the story and character development department. It's your standard 'boy meets girl, boy wants girl, girl wants boy, boy can't have girl, boy leaves girl, girl kills self' opera." She shot a glance to Maria. The woman had finished her first bottle of water sometime during Monique's program and was fighting with her second.

"Somewhere in between the 'boy meets girl' and 'boy leaves girl' parts, Lakmé's father, a Hindu priest, is pretty angry that someone got near his daughter. To flesh out exactly who, he takes her into the marketplace and orders her to sing.

"The song that she sings is a story: A young girl, an 'untouchable', is making her way through the woods one day when she stumbles upon a young man being attacked by a tiger. Desperate to save him, she runs to his aid," Kagome allowed herself a slight ironic smile. "With bells on. Literally. By playing her," she formed quotes with her fingers, "'magic bells' the girl manages to save his life.

"The story doesn't say whether she sacrifices her life for his," she paused. "I like to think that she does. What it does say is that the girl is afraid of his reaction to her status. She didn't need to worry. The man reveals himself to be," she closed her eyes, trying to remember the Hindu god's name, "Vishnu, son of Brahma. He takes her with him back to 'heaven' as thanks for her deed."

Maria had gotten the bottle open and was just closing it when Kagome turned again. Nodding, the soprano continued, "Explanation over. The reason for this piece, as well as several others, being chosen is that it is an excellent example of coloratura. For those of you giving me clueless looks, those really high, really fast notes that we show-off sopranos like to do."

Maria hid a grin while she gave a chord. After humming to be sure she had the key, Kagome smiled. "The 'Bell Song'," was the only thing she said.

The beginning of the aria was more focused on the story, slow, flowing, melodic. As the story progressed and the girl saw the trouble the man was in, the music changed accordingly, becoming more frantic. Then came the bells.

In direct contrast to the earlier section, this part was 'fast and furious'. The singer had to vocally reproduce the bells…And seeing as Kagome had no 'bells' to guide her, it was a bit more difficult. The segment culminated in a held high note followed by a quick trip down the scale and a very abrupt chord from the piano.

Then came the dramatic/heroic section. The music was again the slow, flowing tune as the god revealed himself and gave the girl her reward.

Revisiting the bells reintroduced the coloratura. Needless to say, the ending High E was welcome to Kagome.

The piano's final chords rang in the air as the applause began. Kagome didn't miss the glances exchanged by her old history professor and her Composition professor. She also didn't miss the mouthed 'There's no need for a note to be that high'.

Grinning, she shook her head, exchanging her own glance with Rin, who had accompanied Tai; she was the only other one in the house willing to stomach an hour of nothing but Classical music.

The next number, Kagome explained, was pretty much the exact opposite of the first. "The character was obviously, if you'll pardon the reference, from 'Planet Look-at-me, Look-at-me'."

She had been in a play as certain fairy queen and had then shown her amazing ego with an aria. It wasn't one of Kagome's favorite arias, but she managed to get through it.

"You've seen the self-sacrificing Hindu girl and the _vain _'Titania'. This next girl is a bit different," she sighed. "She's a doll. She has no emotions.

"Her aria is designed to show two things about the 'automaton' known as 'Olympia'. First of all, as a doll, she never has a bad day; everything's puppies and kittens and bunnies and rainbows for her. Secondly," she began bouncing slightly, seemingly irritated. "She never misses a note." The door Monique had exited through received a rather heated glare. "I don't pretend to be that perfect, but I'm going to try. 'Les oiseaux dans la charmille' from 'Les Contes D'Hoffman'."

* * *

Contrary to Kagome's belief, Jinenji, while not an avid fan of it, did enjoy opera. In fact, when he'd seen the small blurb about the recital in the paper, he'd made plans to attend. The only truly new information Kagome's call had yielded was that there was to be a 'get-together' afterwards. 

_I'm tone deaf  
__Never could understand pitch  
__Some people you know can sing 'so-la-ti-do'  
__And claim they can tell which is which!_

Kagome was closing out her program in her typical non-conformist style: with a tongue-in-cheek, and obviously false to those in attendance, declaration of a flaw.

The subtle scratching of pen on paper drew his attention from the stage. The woman next to him was making more notes. Judging by her nametag, he concluded that she was a 'scout' for a Classical label. Probably Erato given the letterhead on her notepad.

A purposely flat note caused him to wince and drew his attention back to Kagome, who was gesturing frantically at the accompanist.

* * *

Sal pulled back from the two women he'd just hugged. To the taller, blue-haired one he accused, "You made me cry!" To the smaller one, he asked pointedly, "No Königin?" Both women swatted him. 

Hugging his two friends again, he pouted, "Only a few more months."

Kagome shook her head, smiling. "I'll be back before you know it."

"I'm not interrupting something, am I?" a half amused, half nervous voice broke in.

The smaller woman pulled away from the hug to smile welcomingly at the hanyou hovering near the group. "Jinenji! You came! Here, I'll introduce you to everyone."

* * *

The IHOP waitresses were probably a bit surprised to find such a large group heading in for dinner at nearly midnight. 

Kagome, returning from the bathroom, stared at the plate in front of her seat. A happy face made out of Reddi-Whip© smiled back. Sitting down, she glanced around the table. "Alright. Who did it?"

Kouga smirked while everyone pointed to the history professor.

"Traitors," the inu-youkai affected his patented 'Sit Down and Shut Up' glare.

"Don't work, Mammy," Kagura snorted a laugh.

Sango choked on her coffee. "'Mammy'?"

"He can't put me in detention," the wind-demoness grinned, looking a bit like her boyfriend. "Why the hell not?"

Kikyou gave a rather un-Kikyou-like snort. At her former teacher's hurt look, she waved a hand. "Sorry, not funny," was all she managed before she broke down into giggles.

Soon, all the women were laughing, save for Rin who was hopelessly out of the loop, letting out broken sentences as they did.

"-and when he sat-" Kagura threw back her head, howling with laughter, and pounded a fist on the table.

"-Coach Cover-" Sango chortled.

"-'Not sportsmanlike'-" Kagome and Kikyou threw out simultaneously, pointing at each other.

"-your hair-" Kagura shrieked, pointing at Kagome.

Kouga, remembering the Van de Graaff generator incident, let out a snicker of his own

"-blackmail!" Sango cackled.

It was a long while before they all calmed down and even afterwards the girls were still having trouble drinking anything without giggling.

After about the twentieth random snort from the women, Tai turned his attention to the hanyou, who'd been observing everything quietly. "So, Jinenji, Kagome mentioned you were working on a Psychology degree. How's that working out?"

Smiling, Jinenji told his former teacher that, not only was he interning as an assistant counselor at a high school in town, he'd been offered a permanent position at the school when he completed his degree. Turning to Kagome, he narrowed his eyes, "And what's new with you?"

"I'm going to be traveling again," the woman started hesitantly.

"Austria again?" Jinenji frowned in thought, remembering where her studies had sent her the summer before.

Kouga snickered.

Biting her lip, Kagome framed out her explanation. "Not exactly," she began slowly.

_**

* * *

Well, I'll see what I can do to clean this up once I get back home. For now, it's going up as is. I'm quite tired of going through and translating everything into HTML because the computer doesn't like the original formatting. This will more than likely be reposted in a few days, but for now, just drop me a line. Send in ideas, rants, complaints, whatever. **_

_**Until later. Ja ne. **_


	14. Chapter Twelve

**_A/N: Oh my god, I am so eternally sorry that this took so long to finish! This one's a bit more filler than the others, but it demanded to be written. There are a few things that make me go O.o but they refused to be changed, so here they are. This chap is about 22 pages long and is the second section of the previous chap...The next chap should end both the meta-chap and Act I._**

**_Disclaimer: I. Own. Nothing._**

_**Note: **Italic Lyrics are Kagome singing  
_**Bold Lyrics are Her duet partner  
_Combo Lyrics are Both  
_**

* * *

Inuyasha, for once sitting down at his desk, stared at the teen in front of him. He nearly asked if the student thought he was an idiot, but somehow managed to hold his tongue. "You're fine," he finally said. "Get back to work." 

"But," the student sputtered. "I feel really sick."

"You smell like pot," Inuyasha countered. "Get back to work."

"Shit, man, you're supposed to let us go!"

"Not to smoke," shaking his head, the hanyou turned his attention to the tabs he was writing, signaling the end of the conversation. He didn't look up when the door opened, figuring that the student was leaving.

"Kags!"

Nope, the twerp hadn't even moved. "Tell this asshole to let me go! I feel sick!"

When the only response from the normally outgoing woman was a distracted hum, Inuyasha raised his eyes. She looked like an addict going through withdrawal: she was shaking, unfocused.

Worst of all, she looked scared.

"Oi, wench!"

No response.

"Woman!" he tried again. "What's wrong with you?"

Nothing.

"Look, bit-" she jumped.

Jessica, one of the more advanced students, snapped her fingers to get his attention and then looked to Kagome pointedly. The hanyou gave her a dry look before pointing to her guitar. The girl was worried, so he'd forgive her for flipping him off.

Returning his attention to the problem at hand, Inuyasha snapped, "Get back to work!" not missing the wince Kagome gave.

His next action may not have been the wisest. Leaving his desk, he stormed over to where Kagome was leaning dazedly against a wall, her head in her hands. Wasting no time, he grabbed her wrist and proceeded to bodily haul her out of the room.

Breaking out of her stupor, Kagome struggled against him, demanding weakly that he let her go. He stubbornly refused until they had left the room and were outside next to the stairwell.

"Talk," he ordered tersely.

Apparently, she was still herself enough to be sarcastic. "A squared plus B squared is equal to C squared."

He scowled at her. "You know exactly what I meant."

She glowered right back. "OB/GYN appointment."

"Bullshit."

"Lost a bet."

"Don't think so."

"Have a headache," she pointedly glanced over his shoulder.

"That one I'll believe," he nodded. Hearing the somewhat muffled gossip going on just behind the door, he leaned against it, blocking the small window. "What caused it?"

"An aggressive asshole," she sighed.

Inuyasha allowed a small smirk. "That the best you can come up with? You're off your game."

"Not you," under her breath, she added, "for once."

Frowning, the hanyou asked quietly, "Wha'd he do?"

Pushing a hand through her windblown hair, she turned her gaze to the ground. "Just talked."

Eyes narrowing, he failed to notice that his tone had turned to that of a parent dealing with an uncooperative child. "Kagome."

Kagome looked up at him, partially out of annoyance, but mainly to let him see that she was in fact serious.

For a brief moment, Inuyasha wanted to continue the conversation…But then he heard a few of the students, their view obstructed and their imaginations rampant, let out some rather lewd speculation.

Kagome smiled slightly as his left ear flicked, perhaps in an effort to shake off the words, and he turned his head to glare at the door. Her smile grew as his ear began an almost spasmodic series of flicks and his glare grew steadily more heated. "Maybe we should talk later?" she offered.

He nodded slightly, gave a small growl, and turned to open the door. Kagome heard several groans of upset.

Still smiling to herself, she wondered if that imperious gait was hereditary, or if both of the Mamoru sons just loved imitating their father. She moved to stand in the doorway, watching curiously as, wordlessly, the hanyou snatched an unused music stand and a sheaf of papers and arranged them near a stool in the middle of the studio.

Jessica was soon standing next to her. "What do you figure this is?"

Kagome shrugged. "No clue. Then again, it's not my problem, is it?"

The red-haired student took a playful swat at the older woman.

"Uh, Teach," Jayson, one of the more eccentric students, piped up. "What exactly is this?"

"This," Kagome could hear the smirk in Inuyasha's voice, "is your progress report grade."

Among the balking moans, there were a few murmurs of "What the hell?"

"That's not due for a week!" one student cried.

"Not my problem," he didn't even look up as he casually placed an electric and an acoustic on stands near the stool.

Jessica gave Kagome a look. The singer merely smiled.

"Now that you've shut up," Inuyasha continued. "Any volunteers?"

After thirty seconds of absolute silence, Danny, the same one Inuyasha had been arguing with, snorted. "Damn! Bunch 'a pussies! How hard can it be?"

"Nice of you to volunteer," the hanyou smirked. "If you'll take a seat right here…"

There was a series of goading 'oh's as Danny swaggered towards the stool. The teen studied the three piles of paper for a moment before he pointed to one and declared, "That's not humanly possible!"

"Then don't try it," came the brusque answer.

Danny was quiet for a short while before he picked up the acoustic and began to play what Kagome recognized as a hesitant 'Sailorman's Hymn'. He made it through the first verse and chorus before replacing the acoustic, throwing an arrogant smirk towards Inuyasha, and swaggering back to his place.

The hanyou merely rolled his eyes, removed the papers from their stack, and called, "Next?"

The rest of the period consisted of the students sight-reading the tabs, which ranged from Iced Earth to Kamelot to what may have been Sonata Arctica, and declaring one of them unplayable.

When the bell finally rang, the teens filed out, alternately grumbling and chattering excitedly about the class. Jayson, who'd nearly flown through Iced Earth's 'Melancholy (Holy Martyr)', called out, "Awesome assignment, Teach!"

Even though he only got a grunt in response, the student flung metal horns into the air before jogging down the stairs, humming.

Kagome let out a light laugh. Jayson had always been an interesting kid.

"I hate that class," Inuyasha muttered, filling in grades.

"Yeah," Kagome drawled. "They're all completely mindless."

He gave her a dry look before returning his attention to his grade book.

"Your little test," she smirked slightly. "It didn't really seem too hard."

"No one would touch the difficult ones," the hanyou responded.

"Really?"

"Yeah. The one they called 'impossible'? 'Elizabeth III: Fall From Grace'."

Kagome was still laughing when Miroku meandered in.

The violet-eyed human stared at her, confused, for a moment before remarking, "I feel like I've wandered into a warped version of Lethal Weapon 4."

Inuyasha simply quirked an eyebrow and went back to the gradebook.

Never taking his eyes off of the singer, Miroku tried to coax an explanation. "Perhaps I should be…Brought abreast of the situation…"

Kagome's laughter stilled. "Is that even proper English?"

Inuyasha glared at his friend. "Shit Miroku, why don't you just call 'em 'Tits' and 'Ass'?"

"You might be on to something," the drummer acknowledged, pensive.

After giving the man an additional glare, to keep him quiet, Inuyasha looked over the grades one last time before turning to Kagome. "What happened?"

Kagome, who'd rather hoped that the hanyou had forgotten, said shortly, "He scared the crap out of me, told me he wanted to talk, and brought up a few things that should have been either taken care of months ago or left to die."

Maybe it was the words themselves, or perhaps the tone of voice, or the way she slouched just the slightest bit, or how the corner of her mouth turned down ever so slightly. Whatever it was, it was clearly begging for this conversation to end.

Being contrary by nature, Inuyasha shook his head. "I don't understand you."

When his friend's pause brought a weary glare from the singer, Miroku began formulating a plan to escape the topic, should the conversation become too…Involved.

"This guy used to hit you, and you let him drag you off 'to talk'?"

"Where the hell did you get that idea?" she seemed more confused than angry. "Hiten didn't hit me."

"I had to drag it out of Sango that he was 'abusive'," he began counting off. "You call him 'an aggressive asshole' and you practically freaked out when I tried to pull you out of the room."

Seeming tired again, the singer only offered, "You of all people should know that there's more than one kind of abuse."

Miroku took that as his cue. "You're 'Tits'."

Both turned to him, and Miroku was amused to note that Inuyasha didn't seem annoyed by the name, but rather angry that his friend would dare use it on Kagome.

The woman was just confused. "What about them?"

'Oh, this is perfect!' Miroku grinned inwardly, making a mental note to remind the hanyou that Kagome had started this. "Nothing. It's just that you hide them so much; most men are beginning to wonder if you even have any."

Confused turned to defensive. "Maybe I'd rather use other assets to get work."

The lech shrugged nonchalantly. "Or perhaps you're ashamed?" Amused, he noted that, as Kagome sighed and began reaching for the first button of her over shirt, Inuyasha began pointedly looking anywhere but the singer.

"Hey, I was wondering if y-" the History professor stopped abruptly. "Y'know what? I don't even want to know."

Kagome shot Miroku a glare as Tai spun on his heel and made his way back down the stairs. Inwardly, she was thanking every deity she knew.

"So," the lecher drawled. "I'm guessing the show's over?"

"It never started," the woman pointed out.

A sharp 'thud' and a mumbled 'fucking hell' came from Inuyasha's corner. The hanyou was simultaneously glaring at the wall behind him and massaging the back of his head.

"Yeah," the singer started slowly. "I'm gonna hightail it out of here before Dad calls, begging me to get Tero away from him."

She was nearly out the door before she snapped her fingers, remembering something. "Tell your dad that Thursday's fine for that…" she made some sort of gesture, "thing. And he wanted to know when the next Siren gig was. Tonight, about 8."

And then she was gone.

* * *

The Siren knew they were restless. She knew this show had been a long time coming. This show would be one of the last. It would also be one of the best. 

Kagome didn't even bother with the opening notes.

_Sweet boy, come in  
__I am the dark side of you_

She could see Miroku's grin from her place on the stage as she gradually allowed the chime-like synth to come in.

_Die for my sins  
__Like the one once did_

Tero, who'd not heard the whole of the song, was no doubt a wee bit confused as to why her normally mischievous smirk was wholly devilish. She didn't even want to think of what would be going through his head in a few moments.

_Cinnamon bed  
__For your unashamed appetite  
__A figurante  
__This dance will hurt like hell_

The flabbergasted stare on her cousin's face made it difficult for her to get through the refrain without snickering.

Her bandmates, scattered around the room, weren't as amusing. They'd heard the lyrics repeatedly, mainly because Miroku insisted that they tweak it.

_Just a child without a fairytale am I_

If possible, her smile grew even more wicked, a bit of a pout showing through.

_Dark but so lovely  
__A little match girl freezing in the snow_

Come to think of it, Mr. Mamoru's face was pretty damn funny too. He seemed to be sputtering, probably shocked at his former student's rather seductive display.

Inuyasha had his own smirk as he watched his, admittedly old-fashioned, father. The smirk grew as he reminded himself of a specific track the Old Man would definitely hear.

A steady drumbeat signaled the beginning of the bridge. Kagome smothered an even broader grin when she caught Miroku miming an overly dramatic sigh.

Closing her eyes, she let a series of illusions take shape: nymphs, succubae…Nothing too explicit, though; she'd seen the family in the back.

A slight sigh erased the illusions, leaving only the robed figure. Kagome grinned inwardly: hopefully the kids wouldn't get the next allusion.

_Romantic scent  
__Spoiled Lucrece lies warm for you_

Continuing the verse, Kagome mused that she'd just have to explain to Tero that every woman was allowed a 'slut' song.

Alright, so not counting Passion and the Opera she had one 'slut' song….

_When done with me  
__Forget if you think I feel ashamed  
__A wild beast  
__Never felt sorry for anything_

As she finished the final chorus, she noticed Sango preparing to bring up 'The Box'.

Holding out a hand, the signal for Sango to stop, Kagome spoke, her voice and smile mischievous. "Why don't we try something new? You know the rules for the questions, ask away."

A few moments passed before Mac blurted out, "How long are you going to keep doing this?"

Inutaisho tilted his head, wondering how she'd answer the rather loaded question.

The hooded woman paused for only a moment before speaking. "I'd love to say 'for as long as you'll have me'-"

"But?" prompted a woman from the far left.

"But," Kagome continued, "I'm afraid that I can only keep doing this for a few more months."

Instantly, another regular, Tammy, demanded, "Why?"

"I was offered a deal and I took it," came the simple answer.

Tyson, who'd emerged from God-knows-where, innocently prompted, "Aw, c'mon! Tell 'em why!"

Kagome frowned slightly, but complied. "Beginning this summer, I will be out of town. On tour. With Dead Right."

A few 'Holy shit!'s later, Mac piped up again. "Alone?

A gentle smile emerged from under the hood. "No. In fact, I think they're all here." She glanced around at her bandmates, with the exception of Naraku, who'd taken up his usual post against the wall. "Guys?"

Miroku jumped to his feet immediately, Kouga standing soon after. Naraku gave a miniscule wave. Inuyasha leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow.

"You too," came the reply from pursed lips.

Sighing heavily, the hanyou stood.

"I'm sure that was painful," the hooded woman remarked dryly.

"Excruciating," he agreed.

Rolling her eyes, Kagome shot a glance to Naraku. Channeling Vanna White, she gestured to the keyboardist. "And if you'll direct your attention to the right of the stage, you'll find the final member of the quintet."

* * *

"That may have been a bad idea, Seija," Tero said quietly, climbing into the cramped car. 

"The sooner they figure out who 'The Siren' is, the less questions I have to answer later," Kagome replied reasonably. "I know what I'm doing."

The Finn sighed heavily. "I still don't like it."

"Could we talk about something else?"

"Your phone wouldn't shut up," he handed the offending article to his cousin.

Checking the calls log, Kagome frowned. "I don't know this person."

Tero smiled mischievously. "If you want, I can drive while you call them."

Slowly, the woman turned to him, stared at him for a second, then turned away, rolling her eyes.

"Or not," he shrugged.

"Caveman, I'd trust you with my voice and with my life," she said calmly, starting the engine. "Never my car."

A few moments passed in silence before Tero asked, "So, when are you going to call this mystery person?"

"How about," she paused for a moment, pretending to think about it. "After I get some sleep?"

* * *

Inuyasha had no idea as to why he was anywhere near the choir room in the first place, but the strains of 'Dragula' coming from it now piqued his curiosity and he opened the door. 

"You're kidding me!" he heard an extremely familiar voice groan from the office. "Since when do they start at eight?!"

"How the hell did you get in here?" he asked when the raven-haired woman appeared. "The window?"

Kagome studied the walls of the room before raising an eyebrow. "What window?"

Inuyasha favored her with his brother's 'You-Are-A-Moron' look (guaranteed to shut them up or your money back).

The woman sighed before saying simply, "I've joined the ranks of the subs."

"And just how did you finagle that gig?"

She laughed slightly. "Finagle?"

He simply stared at her.

"Mrs. Schirlet called me last night," she finally answered. "She's going on maternity leave starting today. Madame de Sade recommended me."

"And she's fine with you ditching her course?"

"I've already finished everything, so, yeah, she is."

They bickered for a while longer before the door opened again.

"Oh. My. God. Taina!" a shrill voice came from the other room. "We've got a new one!"

"Soprano 1," Kagome muttered as Inuyasha's ears folded against his head.

"New what?" came Taina's voice.

"A new kid," the first girl answered. "Duh."

Through the window in the office, Kagome saw the second girl frown. "I dunno, Kay. She looks like she's thirty."

Inuyasha snorted at that. Kagome merely rolled her eyes.

'Kay' scoffed. "Maybe she's a 'tard. Whatever, doesn't matter. She's totally flirting with that old dude."

Amusement won out over offense. Kagome smiled at the hanyou's glare. "Old man," she sang.

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm not the 'tard'."

Taina had moved away from Kay and was now at the office door. "Hey, do you know where Mrs. Schirlet is?"

"Probably in bed," Kagome smiled gently. "She's just gone on maternity leave."

The girl 'oh'd and shared a glance with her friend. "I told you."

Kay just snorted. "Whatever," she reiterated.

Inuyasha took that as his cue. "I'm going to go open up the studio. Don't kill anyone."

Kagome smiled at him. "Ditto on that."

"Funny, wench." He stood and walked out of the room, ignoring Kay's little squawk of surprise.

The door had barely shut behind him when the girl squealed, "He is so fucking _hot_!"

Kagome's head dropped into her hands. "Oh, this is going to be a long day."

* * *

Inuyasha dropped by again during his prep period, which, just her luck, happened to be her period with 'Cantate', the school's most advanced choir. 

Those kids were good, and she knew it. Worse, and more importantly, they knew it.

"And just how are you qualified to sub for Mrs. Schirlet?" asked Brad, one of the tenors.

Kagome, sitting in a chair facing the risers the students were on, pinched the bridge of her nose. "What, exactly, would reassure you that I could do this?"

"You could start," Trichelle, an Alto 1, interjected, "by singing some of our music."

The singer threw up her hands. "Fine! Pick something."

The students loudly began arguing with each other over which piece they should force her to sing. Kagome watched them for a moment before getting up and walking towards the office.

Inuyasha smirked at her from his spot near the door. "Where 'ya going?"

"To find an amazingly thick wall to dent," she replied casually.

He shrugged. "Fine. But you're never allowed to tease me again when I bitch about the students."

"Hey!" one of the boys called. "Sub-lady! We've got something."

Kagome's hands clenched. "Higurashi," she muttered. "Is it really that hard to remember?"

A cat-demon in the Soprano 2 section snickered.

The raven-haired woman smiled tightly and turned to face the class. "Alright. What is it?"

As if on cue, the entire choir chorused, "Agnus Dei."

"I hate you," Kagome mumbled.

An Alto 2 grinned at her. "Need the music?"

When Kagome opened her mouth again, it was hard to tell who was more surprised: the class or Inuyasha. The darker tones that colored her performances as 'The Siren' had been erased, leaving a more lightweight, sweeter voice.

After about thirty seconds she stopped and arched an eyebrow at the class. "Satisfied?"

None of the students said anything, so she continued. "Then let's get to work."

"Question," Inuyasha narrowed his eyes slightly. "Why can't you do that normally?"

Kagome seemed to consider for a moment before smiling. In the same sweet tone, she sang softly, "For whom the gun tolls…"

Nodding, the hanyou simply said, "Got it."

Returning the nod, the singer led the class through its warm-ups before announcing the plan for the day. "If you're working on a revue piece, do so in the other room or get a practice room key from me. If you want to talk _quietly_, do so. You can use the radio or CD player but you all have to agree on something. I'm going to be in the office; before you go anywhere, and I do mean _anywhere_, tell me. You have an hour."

She'd barely made it into the office before six of the boys blew past her and into the other room, and Justin Timberlake's 'SexyBack' filled the air.

"They are really trying to make me twitch," Kagome mused before shutting the door behind the hanyou. "And what brings you down here?"

"Boredom," he answered honestly. "And Jakotsu."

She raised an eyebrow.

"He dropped this off with Pop," he produced an overly large envelope. "And I think he's still around here somewhere."

"I don't even want to know where you put that," she took the envelope from him and opened it.

Her brow furrowed as she leafed through the photos. Preempting her question, he said, "Tobias uses hidden cameras to take photos at five second intervals. Says he prefers candid photos of people being themselves to staged ones."

"Explains why you didn't move."

Inuyasha smirked. "Perk of being in the family."

"Could've let us in on that."

"And ruin shots like these?" He pointed to one of the glossy images.

Kagome wrinkled her nose at the picture. "That one's getting tossed."

He shook his head in mock defeat. "And that was Miroku's favorite too."

She arched an eyebrow. "Am I the last one to see these?"

"No," he answered immediately. "Wait….Yeah."

She was just raising her hand to take a swat at him when the office door opened.

"Miss?" It was Anney, one of the Soprano 2's.

Dropping her hand, Kagome smiled at the girl. "What is it?"

"TJ and Joey are throwing Tashauna's bookbag around," the student sighed. "And I think Mick's started a game of Texas Hold'em."

The new substitute sighed heavily. Standing, she fixed Inuyasha with a weary glare. "Not one word."

The hanyou simply shrugged before continuing to peruse the photos.

Kagome followed Anney into the other room. Sure enough, two of the boys were tossing a weighty backpack around and another five students were engrossed in a poker game. The substitute watched the group for a few moments. "What're you doing?" she asked, using what Inuyasha would call 'the Mom Voice'.

"Having fun," Ray answered after the backpack's thud.

"Right," Kagome drawled. Marching over to the radio, she quickly shut Beyoncé up, then called to the students in the other room, telling them to come back.

When the boys reemerged, she ordered the class back onto the risers. Reclaiming her chair, she studied the students. "I know that you don't know me," she began, obviously trying not to appear too upset. " And I know that most of you really couldn't care less if I were hit by a bus, and, to be honest, I don't give a damn. However, if I can't trust you to obey simple instructions, I will have to play the evil stepmother. My six-year old on his worst day behaves better than you have."

"C'mon, Teach," one of the Tenors scoffed. "We get the point: us bad, you disappointed."

"Disappointed?" she shook her head. "Disappointed was here," she indicated a level around three feet from the ground. "I blew threw that roof," she pointed to the ceiling, "around Morning Announcements and I'm hovering around an inch from 'Pissed as Hell'. Believe me, you don't want to see that.

"Now, I'm going back into that office. Your section leaders will guide you through every damn warm-up you've ever done until I get done what I need to, and then I'm going to dig up whatever music I feel like making you work with," she grinned cruelly. "Have a nice day."

As she was heading back towards the office, she heard one of the Basses mutter, "I think I hate her."

Looking at him over her shoulder, she called out, "Good."

* * *

Not looking up from the preliminary tour schedule she was studying, Kagome called, "You're sharping!" 

The singing in the other room stopped and grumbling took its place.

From his seat in the corner, Inuyasha griped, "You are having way too much fun with this whole 'bitch' thing. And I swear, if I hear another fuckin' 'do re mi' I will kill someone."

"Oh hush," the woman smiled. "It's only been ten minutes."

"You're used to this shit," he countered.

Inclining her head in agreement, she gestured to one of the dates on the schedule. "That's going to be difficult. We'd all be rushed to get to the venue: that flight's long."

"Nothing's final yet," he shrugged.

"I know. Still, it doesn't make sense to ha- Now you're flat!"

"How the fuck can you tell?" the hanyou frowned as the grumbling started up again.

"You mean, apart from your whining anytime they hit a sour note? Practice."

"You need a life," he diagnosed.

"I'll go shut them up."

The instant she exited the office, the grumbling intensified. Ignoring it, she asked cheerily, "And how are you guys feeling now?"

Most of the shouted answers contained profanity.

After about a minute and a half of simply listening to the students complain, Kagome decided she'd heard enough. "Alright," she tried. They drowned her out. "Guys, enough."

They still continued.

Rolling her eyes, she broke out the proverbial big stick: she hit a note that would leave Inuyasha's ears pinned back for the next five minutes.

It worked though, and the onslaught of complaints died out, replaced with murmurs of confusion.

Eyeing one of the Soprano 1's, who looked as if she'd found a new hero, Kagome said simply, "Yes, I did just hit that note. No, I can't teach you how."

Inuyasha's voice came from the office, "And you'd better not do it again, Woman!"

Grinning mischievously, she whispered to the class, "Don't mind him: he's PMS'ing."

"I heard that."

"Hmm?" the raven-haired woman voiced innocently. "Heard what? You sure you're feeling alright?"

He went quiet, probably glaring at something.

Trina, a Soprano 2, narrowed her eyes shrewdly. "Are you high?"

Kagome smiled brightly. "Nope. I'm like this all the time."

"And it's annoying as shit!" Inuyasha added.

"Shhh!" the seemingly giddy substitute scolded him. "There are children present!"

"Keh."

"Anyway," she shook her head. "Are we going to try to get along? Or should I just have a talk with Mr. Lontano?"

Hearing the principal's name, the choir began grumbling again. After around thirty seconds, Kagome raised a hand. They went quiet.

One of the Basses raised his own hand.

"Nick?" the substitute acknowledged.

"What did you have to get done?"

She thought for a moment, trying to decide what to say without revealing too much. "I have to finalize a schedule and layout for a project, I have my own music to look over for performances, and I've got to create lesson plans."

A bold Soprano II piped up. "What performances?"

"Well," Kagome began. "One's today. The other's not for a couple of weeks, though."

"What's the one for today?" Diane, the Soprano I who'd been thrilled with the high note, asked.

"I'm supposed to do a presentation after school in the theater. Why?"

The entire choir silently made a pact to go, either to crash it or to see what they were up against.

* * *

The 'Candide' performance had been…Interesting was really the only word for it. Kagome had nearly fallen on her ass in those ridiculous heels and that had been enough to elicit a snicker or two from his corner…Of course, whenever one of those snickers emerged, he had been promptly elbowed by Miroku and Kouga. 

And now Pop was bouncing around like a schoolboy on a sugar high.

"And you should have heard her sing Christine!" Pop was chattering away to some kid who'd had a question. "Too bad the Phantom was bad that year!" A sly glance in his direction drew a scowl from the hanyou.

No fucking way was he ever doing that again.

"That's right!" Kagome chimed, obviously having just reemerged from the changing room. "You kept talking about that one-"

A nudge from Miroku.

"-Most interesting characterization!" Pop was grinning innocently now. "Definitely not traditional!"

The kid was just standing there with raised eyebrows. "How?"

"Well," another look, this time with a grin. "He was pretty much screaming the whole thing."

Another nudge from Miroku.

"-Should've recorded it," Kagome was saying. "Would've been a good example for the rest of the classes."

"If I could just get him back to the stage-"

Oh my fucking God. Pop was **not** trying to pull the puppy eyes on him! **He'd **perfected that face! Him! Inuyasha!

"-And you," there was a slight growl beginning to underly his father's words. "It'd be perfect."

Translation: You lazy bum of a son. Get your ass up there.

Inuyasha snorted. Not happening.

"I know he'd probably love to do it again."

'Now, damnit! I'll take your car!'

The hanyou laughed harshly. 'Yeah, that'll work.'

"Oh, I know I'll find him-"

'Fine. I'll take the Tetsusaiga."

Inuyasha frowned. 'Not fair.'

"-It just might take a bit of wheedling."

'…And the guitar…'

There was a rather loud growl of frustration before Kagome was being dragged away by a fuming, cursing hanyou.

'I knew you'd see it my way.'

That loony old bastard! Inuyasha was willing to bet good money that Pop was inwardly doing those ludicrous 'Snoopy Dances'.

"What the hell?" Kagome wasn't resisting; she was, shall we say, rather attached to her right arm. "What're you-?"

He finally let her go when they were about at center stage. "Just play along."

Pop had danced his way to the sound equipment and working things out with Vann.

She glared up at him. "Excuse you? I'm dragged across the building, up the stairs and onto center stage, and all you can say is 'play along'?!"

Inuyasha kept his eyes on the little rat he called 'Pop' and shrugged.

"Oh, nice try, Bucko!" she spat. "Did ya really think I'd stay up here?!"

'Bucko?' he raised an eyebrow.

Kagome was about to storm off when an organ let out a harsh, and instantly recognizable, series of notes. She whirled around, putting two and two together…And coming up with five…The guy she'd never heard sing outside of his car was the one her old teacher had been raving about?

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Sing."

She had to admit, she was really tempted to just stick her tongue out at him and flounce off the stage, but…Curiosity killed the cat…

_In sleep he sang to me  
In dreams he came_

Was that even the right rhythm? God, six years ago she'd know exactly what she was doing with this song. Now though…Oh, well…

_That voice which calls to me  
And speaks my name_

Tai was not 'inwardly doing Snoopy Dances' as his son thought; he was 'Snoopy Dancing' in place. Sure the years and the training had caused her voice to lose 'girlishness', but she was still pulling it off. Now if only his son would use that damn falsetto that had completely made the song last time…

_And do I dream again?  
For now I find_

Kagome hated the next phrase, the jump annoyed her no end, but, until that smug smirk was wiped off Inuyasha's face, she'd play his little game. Note perfect, too.

_The Phantom of the Opera is there  
Inside my mind_

Damn. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn. He'd really, _really_ wanted her to storm off stage, not stand there and silently challenge him. Eh, time to, er, sing.

Keeping the smirk, he used as much of an anti-Broadway voice as he could get away with, moving towards her as he sang. Being a 'metal head' did come in handy.

**Sing once again with me**  
**Our strange duet**

'Strange' was definitely the right word, Kagome mused. The, well, the best term for it was 'wailing snarl', that he was using completely went against the song's Broadway origin…But she had to admit that it rather fit the character.

She looked to Tai for confirmation that this was what he'd meant. Immediately, she became fixated on what looked like his imitation of a series of convulsions.

**My power over you  
Grows stronger yet**

What the hell was she looking a- Oh, for the love of god! 'I cannot possibly be related to him!' Shaking his head lightly, Inuyasha helped bring Kagome back to reality by gently turning her head to face him.

**And though you turn from me  
To glance behind**

'Falsetto, falsetto, falsetto,' Tai had an inward chant going on. What? He couldn't help it: the falsetto made the part so much more fun.

However, he'd have no such luck. His son stayed in the lower key, ending on a somewhat defiant snarl.

**The Phantom of the Opera is there**  
**Inside your mind**

Kagome narrowed her eyes at her 'costar'. If he could get away with touching her, she could sure as hell return the favor, and that unruly strand of hair was the perfect target.

Keeping her touch light, she gently pushed the hair out of his eyes.

_Those who have seen your face  
Draw back in fear_

Taking his complete lack of reaction as a good thing, Kagome began to slowly and lightly trail her hand down the side of his face.

_I am the mask you wear  
_  
Ok, that was it. Inuyasha grasped her wrist, pulling it away from him and turning his head from her at the same time.

**It's me they hear**

Tai grinned. They were getting into character. Good.

The following harmony was interesting: his snarl nearly disappeared, leaving what was mainly a wail, and she, in turn, dipped into her lower register…Essentially, they traded keys.

**My/**_your** spirit and**_** your/**_my __**voice  
In one combined**_

So he wanted to play. Fine. Kagome decided to switch back to her own key.

At almost the same time, Inuyasha decided to get his father off his back and use the damn falsetto.

The result: He matched her exactly, pitch for pitch.

**_The Phantom of the Opera is _there/**_here_

**_Inside _your/**_my **mind**_

Kouga blinked. When Kagome had first done this, Hojou, the year's Phantom, had never even tried to pull that off. Judging by the look on her face, she hadn't expected the hanyou to either.

The melody changed abruptly and Kagome was jolted from whatever thoughts she'd been having…She didn't remember this part, and, judging from the look on Inuyasha's face, he knew.

The smirk, if possible, grew even more smug.

**In all your fantasies  
You always knew**

'Words not coming back,' Kagome was about to panic. This verse had _not_ been in the movie.

Inuyasha tried not to grin. Her lips were moving, no sound was coming out, and her eyes were darting back and forth. She'd blanked.

Hoping to prompt her, he continued.

**That man and mystery**

It worked.

_Were both in you_

Kagome glared half-heartedly when the only acknowledgement her memory received was a miniscule incline of his head.

_**And in this labyrinth**_  
_**Where night is blind**_

Tai was crossing his fingers for another falsetto, but apparently his son had decided that once was enough.

_**The Phantom of the Opera is there  
**_**_Inside _your/**_my** mind**_

Inuyasha had been slowly backing away throughout the verse. And why not? His part was pretty much done. Kagome was just wondering where the hell Tai's accusation of 'screaming' had come from when he let out a very controlled scream, "Sing my angel of music!"

Kagome simply stared at him, prompting him to glare and demand, "Sing!"

And she did, beginning the well-known end descant.

Tai grinned even more broadly. As Kagome's voice went spiraling up, his son dropped his own pitch to a near growl. They weren't even paying attention to the setting now; they were having too much fun playing off of each other.

The first of the High C's came from Kagome and Inuyasha went silent for a moment. 'What the hell,' he mentally shrugged. When the second of the notes came, he began a trip up the scale, nearly matching pitch again with her on the third.

He left her alone to finish with the E.

As the final note rang in the air, the hanyou turned to his father. "Can I go now?"

Tai, seeing Vann prepare the recorded track for burning to a CD, was far too happy to object.

Coming off of her music-induced high, Kagome glanced around the now-empty stage and then voiced the thought on everyone's mind, "What the hell just happened?"

* * *

**_A/N 2: Yes, I do have recordings of Nightwish singing Phantom. Yes, Marco does nearly match pitch with Tarja on the C6. Yes, he does have a very strange falsetto.  
Anyway, I'll try to update faster this time. Until then, drop me a line._**


	15. Chapter Thirteen

**_A/N: ...Yeah, ok, I've got no excuse. But hey, there's a lot of ground covered in this one, there's even some fluff. If anything confuses you, either e-mail me or trust that it will be explained later._**

**_Be forewarned, there is quite a bit of music in this chap._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizeable. 'Lass', I believe is public property. 'Forgiven' and 'Our Solemn Hour' belong to Within Temptation. All other lyrics belong to Tuomas Holopainen, any alterations to said lyrics are mine. The bridal party's dresses belong to David's Bridal. Rin's is viewable in a deviation by KrisCynical on deviantart._**

* * *

Kagome's next day ran considerably smoother. Her last class of the day was nearly finished and they'd known both songs that she'd worked with them on so far. Smiling, she let them put away the second piece. 

"Alright," she nodded from her seat behind the piano. "Pull out 'Lass From the Low Countree'."

The young women stared blankly at her, sheet music in their hands.

Noticing their looks, Kagome sighed. "What is it?"

"We haven't started this one," one of the Soprano 2's announced.

Glancing at the clock, the new substitute noted that they only had three minutes left in the period. "And we don't have time to start it today." Forcing a hand through her hair, and making a mental note to drop by Yura's, Kagome bit her lip. "Why don't I play through it for you, so you can hear what it sounds like, and we'll work on it next time?"

There were a few scattered nods and Kagome turned her attention back to the piano. The melody was quiet, melancholy, haunting. It was part of why she liked the piece.

As she began the words, her voice was tender, gently lending itself to the tale.

_Oh, he was a lord of high degree_  
_And she was a lass from the low countree  
__But she loved his lordship so tenderly_

With two other choirs joining this one for the competition, she'd easily heard the piece ten times in the past two days so she allowed herself to focus more on the tone. Her voice became stronger as she moved to the chorus, commanding the attention of the listener.

_Oh sorrow, sing sorrow_  
_Now she sleeps in the valley where the wildflowers nod_

Her voice softened slightly, seemingly in pity for the poor girl.

_And no one knows she loved him but herself and God_

The soft notes of the piano took over for a moment before the story continued.

_One morn when the sun was on the mead_  
_He passed by her door on a milk white steed  
__She smiled and she spoke but he paid no heed  
__Oh sorrow, sing sorrow  
__Now she sleeps in the valley where the wildflowers nod  
__And no one knows she loved him but herself and God_

It followed the format of a folk song, story then moral and she felt her voice become more cynical as the warning came.

_If you be a maid from the low countree_  
_Don't love of no lord of high degree  
__They hain't got a heart for sympathy_

The strength behind her voice returned and the words of the chorus were caught somewhere between being a command and a desperate plea.

_Oh sorrow, sing sorrow  
Now she sleeps in the valley where the wildflowers nod_

Her pace slowed and her voice dropped to a whisper, honoring the girl's secret.

_And no one knows she loved him but herself_

A beat of silence followed the held note.

_And God_

The piano's melody ended on an empty chord.

As if by unspoken agreement, everyone in the room was silent, then, as one, the girls rose to collect their things.

The harsh sound of the bell broke the silence and Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. Now all she had to do was make it through a prep and get home and she could-

Someone threw their arms around her from behind.

"You're not allowed to sing happy stuff _ever_ again!" Rin's voice insisted.

"Rin?" What was she doing here?

"The sad stuff is too pretty!"

"Rin," Kagome drawled, trying to look the other woman in the eye. "What's going on?"

Rin gave her another squeeze before chirping, "We're going shopping, silly! Didn't Inuyasha tell you?"

Playfully, Kagome wheezed out, "Must have slipped his mind."

The other woman giggled. "Going senile at his age?" she clucked her tongue. "Whatever shall we do with him?"

Rin's humor was infectious and Kagome found herself grinning. "I vote we lock him on a bus with a few crazy people."

* * *

Rin had obviously gotten her welcoming personality from her mother. Dawn Matthews surprised Kagome by hugging her the instant she was close enough. 

"Oh, it's so good to see that my baby's settling down and making friends," the older woman sighed out. "Usually she travels so much I barely see her. Though I must say, her fiancé is an odd one."

"Hey!" came the laughing protest.

Kagome snickered as Rin pouted.

After a few seconds the woman shook it off, smiling brilliantly. "C'mon, Alisha wanted to meet you."

Alisha turned out to be Alisha McCary, owner of one of the most fashionable boutiques in the area. Dawn and Rin began chattering happily with the woman while Kagome stared, dumbstruck.

Alisha turned to the raven-haired woman, muttering, "Hmmm….Lovely pale complexion. Blue. Hmmm…No…."

Kagome stood absolutely still while the woman circled her. Alisha McCary was studying her, spouting off names of colors that Kagome had never heard. Finally, the older woman snapped her fingers, triumphant, and vanished into the back of the shop.

Rin was grinning like a kid in a candy shop.

Alisha reemerged holding a length of fabric and a tape measure. She smiled kindly and held the fabric out to Kagome.

"Take it," she nodded. "Examine it, feel it: if there's anything you don't like, I want to know."

There was no way Kagome would be able to find a flaw with the fabric: it was simply too gorgeous.

When she told the other woman as much, Alisha merely laughed. "You are entirely too kind," she gave Kagome a motherly smile, tilting her head. "Now, if you'd peel off that denim cocoon of yours, I'll get your measurements and we can begin."

_

* * *

__All mothers beneath the earth and sky  
__Hold their children's hands for a while  
__Their hearts forever yours and mine_

Attention in the small studio was divided between the lanky man sitting at the soundboard and the petite woman in the recording booth. The only sounds were breathing, the woman's voice, and the occasional sigh of the tech as he adjusted the levels on the board.

The three entertainment reporters sat silently, watching the woman fire questions at the unreachable 'Riddler'.

_Make me wonder what's the meaning of life  
__What's the use to be born and then die?  
__Make me guess who's the one  
__Behind the mask of Father and Son_

The band, on the other hand, was crowded around Tero, making sure that not one note was missed. They had very little time in the studio today: Sess had arranged a press conference of sorts.

Kagome's voice dropped to a lower, more intimate tone and Tero adjusted accordingly.

_For Nature hates virginity  
__I wish to be touched_

Vaughn rolled his eyes as Turbaldo, the Regent's reporter, immediately made a note: "Suggestive lyrics."

_Not by the hands of where's and why's  
__But by the Ocean's minds_

Tero made an odd gesture, and Kagome nodded before continuing.

_You think you dwell in wisdom's sea  
__Still sweet ignorance is the key  
__To a poet's paradise-  
__As you wish  
__For kingdom come  
__The one to know  
__All the answers_

Once she heard the click signaling the end of recording, Kagome removed the earphones. "Am I allowed out now?" she asked sarcastically.

Tero gave her a dismissive wave as he and the band stared at the computer screen, willing it to save.

As soon as she stepped from the booth, the lone female reporter pounced.

"Teresa Clelan, Mammoth," she introduced, sticking out a hand. "What's it like being the only woman?" Without giving Kagome time to answer, she continued, "Do you feel underappreciated?"

Kagome shook the woman's hand hesitantly, turning to her bandmates for help. "It's…Interesting. It's almost as if they don't know what to do with me at times."

Inuyasha moved to stand behind her, smirking at the reporter. "We've only had to use the 'Sing, Bitch, sing' chant once. So she's doing alright."

Vaughn smothered a laugh as Clelan sputtered, Turbaldo made another note, and Kagome swatted the hanyou's chest.

Tero, ignoring pretty much everyone else, brought up the media player. Drowning Pool's 'Bodies' started immediately.

Two of the three reporters froze. Kagome and Inuyasha both turned to the Finn, giving him nearly identical looks of confusion.

Teresa noticed the singer's look and immediately asked, "Does a difference in musical taste ever cause problems in the group?"

Inuyasha turned his confusion on the reporter. "The hell?"

* * *

Kagome dropped into her computer chair. Rubbing sleep from her eyes she concluded that she'd rather deal with the students than the reporters: the students at least paused to breathe. 

Opening up her e-mail, she noticed an address she'd never seen before.

"Hey," the message began. "Figured you'd want to read this before it was sent to print. Didn't want any surprises. I've got an open deadline, so take your time.

Vaughn"

Kagome smiled and opened the article.

"Have you seen these people?" It asked. "Chances are, the answer is no, but don't be surprised if you start hearing more about them than you ever wanted to.

"Meet Nightcry."

* * *

"Do I _have_ to be here?" the petulant voice asked. 

Kagome ruffled the kit's hair. "It's just to make sure that you don't get sick."

Shippou gave her a skeptical look. "I've never been sick."

Smiling, she mussed his hair again, earning an annoyed "Mom!"

"Humor me, alright?"

"Higurashi!"

Wrinkling her nose, she picked the kit up. "That's us!"

* * *

Kagome hadn't pestered him all day and Inuyasha was a bit more than curious. Laughter and coos coming from the choir room confused him: Kagome had a prep right now, there shouldn't be students. 

Entering the room, he found Shippou surrounded by a group of high school girls and loving the attention. Shaking his head at the kit, the hanyou scanned the room for Shippou's surrogate mother.

She was in the office, standing at the window, looking into the room with a bittersweet expression that was all too familiar to the hanyou.

Entering the office, he eyed her warily as he closed the door behind him.

Almost immediately after the door clicked into place, she spoke, "Sometimes I wonder if I made a mistake."

Perplexed, he moved to stand next to her, following her gaze. The kit was amusing the girls surrounding him by performing various small illusions.

He watched Kagome out of the corner of his eye. She couldn't possibly be having second thoughts about adopting the kit. Could she?

"I'm going to miss his whole life." There was no self-pity, it was merely a statement.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "You're working to put yourself through school and support him. I think he understands."

A slightly bitter smile crossed her lips and she sighed. "That wasn't what I meant."

Thoroughly confused now, he stayed silent.

"I've had him for four years." She smiled as one of the girls handed Shippou candy and he immediately put it in his mouth, earning more coos. "He hasn't changed: he still looks- he still acts like a six-year old."

Realizing where the conversation was headed, Inuyasha relaxed slightly.

"He told me once that if he were human, he'd be thirty. By the time he even looks anywhere near that, I'll be dead.

"People are so stupid," she shook her head softly. "Forever searching for the 'Fountain of Youth', trying to find ways to live longer. As though one-thousand years could give life any more beauty than one night could-"

She paused for a moment, looked back at the notebook lying open on her desk and smiled. "One night: I like that."

Inuyasha nearly smiled at the distraction: that conversation had been getting way too heavy.

Kagome moved to the desk, scribbled something down in the notebook, then looked up. Still smiling, she tilted her head. "You didn't come down here to hear me wax poetic. What's going on?"

He did smile then. "Nothing really. You hadn't tried to drive me crazy yet today: just wanted to make sure you were still alive down here."

Fluttering her eyelashes coquettishly, she giggled, "If you're that desperate for my company…"

Unfortunately, one of the students decided that that was the opportune moment to ask a question. "Miss Higura-" the girl's eyes grew huge. "Sorry!" She scampered off.

"And it's shit like that," Inuyasha jerked his thumb in the direction of the door, "that's why we have to keep explaining the non-dating issue."

Kagome shook her head, chuckling, before rising and moving to the door, giving his ear an affectionate tweak as she passed. Moving to the stereo, she spoke to the girls, "Those of you that have me next period, start getting your folders. Those of you that don't have me, you've got three minutes til the bell."

She put a disc in the stereo, as had become her custom before classes, and hit random. Immediately, Sharon den Adel's voice floated through the room, pleading, "Santus Espiritus, redeem us from our solemn hour."

Almost as quickly, Inuyasha emerged from the office, a bemused look on his face. "How the hell did you get this? It's not out for months!"

"Here," Kagome corrected. "It's been out in Europe for a while…And I have very good friends."

"Woman, you're going to have to introduce me." And then he was headed out the door.

Kagome shook her head and waved him off with a 'shoo' gesture. Shippou's weight landed on her shoulder and she tilted her head to look at the kit.

The kit's tail fluffed once, twice, and then he spoke, quiet, almost nervous. "Can I go with him?"

Confused, she simply watched the kit for a moment. Then she smiled, "Of course."

Shippou gave her a brilliant smile and took off after the hanyou, calling a quick 'thank you' to the girl who held the door for him.

Still smiling, Kagome busied herself with moving the keyboard into position. She was adjusting it slightly when a voice caught her attention.

"Kagome?"

Turning, the substitute opened her arms to hug the student. "Mandy!"

The young woman adjusted the baby in her arms and returned the hug, smiling wearily.

Pulling away, Kagome began guiding Mandy towards the office, chattering happily the whole way. Once in the office, her demeanor changed. Motherly again, she brushed the girl's bangs from her face. "Sweetie, what happened? I thought-"

Sighing, Mandy cut her off. "He isn't mine. He's my girlfriend's."

Kagome would have questioned her further, but the bell sounded and Mandy moved into the classroom. Curious and no longer feeling sorry for herself, Kagome followed.

* * *

Inuyasha brought Shippou back at the end of the day. Neither of the males mentioned why the kit had gone with the hanyou and, honestly, Kagome wasn't sure she wanted to know. 

She was just getting ready to lock up the office when Mandy appeared again.

"Hey," the girl shrugged, shifting the baby's weight to adjust her bag. "I missed my bus, figured I'd see if you could talk."

Kagome smiled, guiding the girl into the smaller choir room, she told the two males in the office to behave.

Inuyasha gave her a disgruntled glare, Shippou merely smiled.

It was ten minutes before either of the women emerged. Mandy was the first to appear. Sans child and teary-eyed, she made her way out of the room and into the hallway. Kagome emerged moments later, shouldering the girl's bag and cradling the infant. She cooed nonsense at the child and it burbled happily.

Still speaking in the same sing-song, baby-talk tone, she said bluntly, "I need to borrow your car."

Inuyasha frowned. "D'yours break down again?"

She cooed a bit more at the baby before the coos turned to words. "No, I just don't want to take this little one in mine."

Ten minutes later, Inuyasha knew why: he wouldn't have trusted that car in downtown rush-hour traffic even without factoring in the infant.

Shippou had relegated himself to sitting between the two women as they chatted amiably about nothing.

Mandy was the first one to ask if anyone had any music. Without so much as an 'I'm goin' through your CD's, k?' Kagome had snatched his CD carrier and was flipping through them, muttering to herself.

After a few moments, she asked, "Why is there a CD called 'Miro's Pron Groove'? And why are there two?"

Not answering either question, Inuyasha held his hand back to her, "Gimme the blue one."

Pouting at him, she hesitated. "Will it make me feel dirty?"

"Would you trust me on this?"

Sighing, she complied, saying, "If I have to cover Shippou's ears once, you're in trouble."

He simply gave her 'the look' in the rearview as an overly happy version of Nine Inch Nails' 'Closer' started up, complete with censoring dog barks.

It took all of the first verse and chorus to snap Mandy out of her melancholy. By the end of the second track, 'I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today' from Avenue Q, she was laughing. Sometime around the middle of the third song, a little gem he'd dug up from Anthony Rapp, the back seat was a mass of giggles and happy burbles.

Inuyasha smiled to himself. Good. Those two had been about to drive _him_ emo.

When they finally arrived at Saint John's Hospital, Inuyasha hung back a bit from the two females.

Kagome noticed and slowed down. Pacing the hanyou, she frowned. "That was a dirty trick, trying to get us to laugh."

"It worked, didn't it?" he pointed out.

Nudging him, she smiled brightly. "Yeah, it did. Thank you."

He simply shrugged before waving her away.

* * *

Hours later, long after Kagome and Shippou would both be home, Inuyasha lay awake. 

"Oh, you remind me so of my daughter," the ebony-haired woman's voice rang in his ears. "She never visits me, you know."

He saw the same face before him, the expression a mixture of frustration and long-buried pain. "At least your mother remembered you!"

Pieces of a puzzle were slowly coming together, and he found that he'd rather they didn't.

* * *

Approximately five weeks later, Kagome stood backstage, struggling not to laugh as six boys performed a riotous rendition of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. Really, she'd have to tell Mrs. Schirlet about Carl's falsetto: it was unreal the notes he could hit. 

As the boys finished their act, Kagome directed the two seniors moving the school's baby grand into the wings. Once the curtain closed, she hurriedly waved them onto the stage. Mandy emerged from the wings after them, giving Kagome a soft, nervous smile before moving to her place near the newly set up mic.

Kagome took her seat behind the piano and, after receiving a nod from Mandy, signaled the student operating the curtain.

As soon as the curtain was fully open, Kagome began the soft piano intro.

Mandy swallowed hard and opened her mouth, her voice trembling.

_Couldn't save you from the start  
__Love you so it hurts my soul_

The next line came out almost in a whisper. Kagome kept her eyes on the girl: if Mandy broke down she'd understand completely.

_Can you forgive me for trying again?_

However, Mandy actually seemed to calm down the further she got into the song. Her voice moved easily from a high, airy soprano to an almost alto tone.

_Your silence makes me hold my breath  
__Oh, time has passed you by_

The transition to the bridge came and Mandy closed her eyes, her voice softening.

_Ooh, for so long I've tried to shield you from the world  
__Ooh, you couldn't face the freedom on your own  
__Here I am  
__Left in  
__Silence_

There was a brief pause before the pair began the chorus, the soft piano echoing the singer's notes.

_You gave up the fight  
__You left me behind  
__All that's done's forgiven  
__You'll always be mine  
__I know deep inside  
__All that's done's forgiven_

Mandy's eyes remained closed as a soft smile drifted across her lips, gone by the second line.

_Watched the clouds drifting away  
__Still the sun can't warm my face  
__I know it was destined to go wrong  
__You were looking for the great escape  
__To chase your demons away_

The bridge came again and the chorus followed, the only change being the soft, nearly alto harmonies Kagome supplied.

The following section was stronger. Tears slipped past Mandy's lashes and she shook her head, determined to continue.

_I've been so lost since you've gone  
__Why not me before you?  
__Why did fate deceive me?  
__Everything turned out so wrong  
__Why did you leave me in silence?_

As if by an unspoken agreement, Kagome strengthened her harmonies for the remaining chorus, offering her friend support.

After a slight, instrumental tag, the pair froze and the curtain closed. Then, and only then, did Mandy allow herself to cry. Kagome smiled slightly at the techs as she moved to comfort the teen, guiding her offstage, whispering assurances and stroking her hair.

* * *

An hour and a half later, Kagome waved farewell to Mandy as she dropped the girl off at the hospital. Visiting hours were long over but the ICU staff had grown used to the teen's late hours by her girlfriend's bedside. 

Pushing all thoughts of Mandy's situation from her mind, Kagome focused on her drive home, where she would, with any luck, fall into bed and not have to move.

In bed, face down, is exactly where Inuyasha found her nearly nine hours later.

"You want to wake her?" Tony scoffed, leaving the room. "Be my guest."

Shippou, sleeping on the curve of the woman's spine cracked an eye open before deciding that it wasn't worth his time and closing it again.

"Hey," the hanyou tried, wary of getting too close to the singer, lest he become her personal teddy bear. "Get up."

She didn't even flinch.

Tapping her shoulder hesitantly, he muttered, "Up, woman. We're already late."

When she, again, refused to stir, he threw his hands up in defeat and settled for staring at her wall.

"If you're reading my wall again, I will kill you," Kagome mumbled, still not awake enough to move.

"Put that energy towards getting your ass out of bed," he crossed his arms. "We have a tour to shop for."

Her head turned and she gave him a tired half-glare. "Shippou's still sleeping. I'm not waking him up. You're out of luck."

Inuyasha was just about to start a rant about lazy women when the kit piped up, sliding easily from his perch. "I'm awake. Not that I could sleep with Noisy over here…"

The kit scampered from the room and Kagome let out a pout of "Traitor" before heaving herself up and pointing towards the door, giving the hanyou a silent order. Deciding he didn't like the look of over-tired malice in her eyes, Inuyasha gave a "Feh" and left the woman to her own devices.

Twenty minutes of pestering her through the door later, she emerged, glared at him, and brushed past, braiding her hair. He followed her, glaring at Tony as he said a slight prayer for the hanyou's safety and sanity.

Five minutes later, Tero, ensconced in the seat behind Kagome, goaded his cousin into a discussion about possible singles. Twenty-five seconds after that, having been smacked for the sixth time because of something the Finn had said, Inuyasha was wishing he hadn't interrupted Tony's praying.

"But Seija," the Finn was saying. "I don't see why 'Passion and the Opera' wouldn't work."

"It's not exactly 'family-friendly', Caveman," Kagome countered.

"But it gives the clearest picture of the band's sound," Tero pointed out.

Too tired to turn far enough to glare at her cousin, Kagome settled for the next best thing: glaring at Inuyasha. "No, Caveman."

"But Seija-"

"_No,_ Caveman."

Not wanting to be on the receiving end of Kagome's misplaced anger again, Inuyasha said the first thing that came to his mind, "Why not 'Sacrament'?"

Kagome considered for a moment. "That would work."

Then the whine came from the back seat, "But I like-"

"No."

"But-"

Inuyasha turned the stereo on, belatedly remembering that Rin had filched his CDs and left one of her own.

Flogging Molly's 'Seven Deadly Sins' started up.

Oh, he could not _wait_ to get out of the car.

* * *

Oh, she could not _wait_ to get out of this store. 

"Tero, for the last time, you don't need it," she sighed. "Put it back."

"But it's-"

"Put it back."

Tero huffed at her, muttered a sullen 'vittu' and wandered back towards the liquors to put his coveted bottle back.

Kagome watched him go, breathed deeply and rested her head against the cool metal of the shopping cart. "Inuyasha, take Miroku, anything that can be eaten as is or cooked with boiling water, grab it."

She figured they'd probably end up with a cart full of Ramen, but hey, if it kept them quiet, happy, and out of her hair, she was fine with it.

"Kouga, when Tero comes back, get sodas, please," she paused before adding, "and _please_, keep him _away_ from the vodka."

Naraku, the only one who hadn't said a word all morning, quietly asked, "Is there anything you need me to do?"

The singer raised her head to smile at him. "Act like you're shopping for five-year olds?"

The keyboardist smiled back. "Cookies, candy, and chips?"

"That would work."

"And where are you going?"

"For Haagen-Dazs and tea," she muttered, pushing her own shopping cart out of the aisle. "Lots of tea."

* * *

That evening, nostalgia was setting in big-time. Clad in the robe for the last time, Kagome waited for her cue. When it came, she quickly launched into the familiar opening of 'She Is My Sin'. 

Before the final notes had faded, she spoke, "Tonight is my last night here," when the protests died down she added, "so tonight, you choose the songs. Any song."

She noticed the small group towards the back, Miroku front and center, and laughed, knowing what was coming.

Sure enough, the group counted down from three and then shouted their choice. "Master! Apprentice! Heartborn! Seventh Seeker!"

She joined them for the rest of the stanza, kicking off the quick-tempo'd ode to all things fantasy.

_Warrior!  
__Disciple!  
__In me the Wishmaster!_

The group cheered their approval and then went quiet for the bridge.

_Oh Elbereth  
__Oh Lorien_

Those who knew the song chanted the verse along with her, pausing occasionally to catch their breath. The trick to this song, Kagome mused, was to take a very, _very_ quick breath whenever the opportunity came up.

_Dreamy-eyed child staring into night  
__On a journey to the story-teller's mind  
__Whispers a wish, mixed with the stars  
__The words are silent in him  
__  
It's a sigh from the lonely heart  
_"_I'll be with you soon, my Shalafi"  
__Grey Havens my destiny_

This time, Kagome stayed silent for the chorus, gesturing for the crowd to fill in, which they did, very enthusiastically.

_Oh Silvara  
__Oh Starbreeze_

Smothering laughter at the attempts of several to sing the bridge with her, she launched into the verse, making sure to toy with the word 'realms'.

_Sla-Mori the one known only by him  
__To august realms sorcery within  
__When you hear the call of arcane lore  
__Your world shall rest on earth no more  
__  
Maiden elf calling with her cunning song  
_"_Meet me at the inn of last home"  
__Heartborn will find the way_

When the chorus had finished, she moved to the guitar solo. In a moment of complete immaturity, she stuck her tongue out at Inuyasha before deciding on using her original, less complex solo. He looked confused for a moment, but flipped her off as soon as he figured it out.

Laughing, she transitioned again.

_Wishmaster crusade for your will  
__The child, dreamfinder  
__The apprentice becoming_

Almost in apology, she used the revised version of the second solo, complete with the random whammy bar notes he'd been bored enough to throw in.

The crowd joined her again for the chorus and applauded enthusiastically at the abrupt end.

The next request, one for 'the signature', was met with a confused frown. "Are you bored of me already?"

"Nah!" Miroku called. "We just want to make sure you do it!"

Rolling her eyes, she decided for once to do the intro. Backed by a slight, eerie melody, she spoke.

_In the sheltering shade of the forest  
Calling calming silence  
Accompanied only by the full moon  
The howling of a night wolf  
And the path under my bare feet...  
...The Elvenpath_

Soon after she let the instruments kick in, she remembered why she wasn't really doing this one any more: it was almost too damn low. Naturally, she was relieved when it moved into the higher key.

_Tapio, bear-king  
__Ruler of the forest  
__Mielikki, blue-cloak  
__Healer of the ill and sad  
__Open the gate and let me follow the uncarven path_

After a brief jaunt through the chorus, she was back in the lower key, crossing her eyes at Miroku under the cover of the hood.

_The moonwitch took me to a ride on a broomstick  
__Introduced me to her old friend home-gnome  
__Told me to keep the sauna warm for him_

Ignoring Inuyasha's sudden snort of comprehension, Kagome finished out the verse and moved to the chorus.

_The way to the lands  
__Where as a hero I stand  
__The path where beauty met the beast  
__Elvenpath  
__It's the honesty of these worlds  
__Ruled by magic and mighty swords  
__That makes my soul long for the past  
__Elvenpath_

She was more than surprised when several voices recited the passage from Lord of the Rings along with the eerie voice. Shaking her head, she added her own series of notes, cutting the last off sharply.

_As I return to my room  
__And as sleep takes me by the hand  
__Madrigals from the wood  
__Carry me to NeverLand_

Tapering her voice out, she allowed the mysterious voice to return, before vocalizing over it. The instruments took over, crescendoed, and then slowly dropped out.

Mac was the one who spoke next. "Now that tha's outta the way, don'tcha think ya ought ta end the secrecy? Kagome?"

Shocked though she was, Kagome had to admit, if she wanted anyone to win the purse, it was Mac. Smiling, she removed the hood, asking, "Any special requests, Mac?"

"If ya remember it," the man began, laughing. "Tha first one ya ever played."

Kagome frowned in concentration for a moment before smiling again. "I think I do." Turning to her cousin, she said, "Tero, could you get the acoustics out of the car?"

The dark-haired Finn frowned at the implication, but complied and was back in moments.

In the meantime, Inuyasha watched curiously as Kagome filched two stools from the bar, promising to return them shortly. She fiddled with them for a moment, arranging and rearranging them on the stage before she stopped, apparently satisfied. Tero raised an eyebrow at her and tried to hand her the two instruments.

Kagome gave the man a deadpan stare that Inuyasha was willing to bet was picked up during her time in his father's class. Tero huffed his frustration and grudgingly climbed onto one of the stools. Kagome ruffled his hair, earning a glare, and claimed her own perch.

While she was getting situated, Tero tapped out a simple beat, ending with the pair beginning a call-and-answer melody. Kagome played a folk-style high melody, and Tero answered in a lower key. They then played simultaneously, the seemingly separate parts blending in a calming harmony.

This continued for a small while, key-changes coming smoothly and naturally before Kagome opened her mouth.

Inuyasha had no clue what the hell she was saying, but it almost sounded like a lullaby, calm and gentle, the melody simple. As she continued, he wondered where she'd learned to roll 'r's while singing.

They returned to the simple call-and-answer for a moment before closing out with a strummed chord.

Mac murmured a quiet "Thank you" as Tero left the stage, carrying the guitars.

When no one offered a song for a few moments, Kagome began one of her own choosing. A few people seemed to recognize the guitar intro and smiled.

She seemed to be concentrating much more on this song than on the others and he soon realized why.

She began the verse, accompanied by several copies of her own voice.

_A nocturnal concerto  
__Candlelight whispers me where to go_

One by one, the copies dropped out until only she was left.

_Hymn of gathering stars as my guide  
__As I wander on this path of the night_

The process repeated with the next verse. In the third, she added a subtle, wordless vocalization.

_Macrocosm poured its powers on me  
__And the hopes of this world I now must leave  
__The nightwish I sent you centuries ago  
__Has been heard by those who dwelled in a woe_

The next verse was much the same until the instruments dropped out abruptly and she began her own vocalization, light, melancholy. With a beat, the instruments rejoined and her voice gained power, aided by numerous, harmonizing copies.

She continued singing wordlessly as a new yet familiar voice took up the altered yet familiar verse.

**This constant longing for your touch  
****This bitter ocean of hatred and pain  
****This loneliness I need to be who I am  
****  
The oceans are as alone as I  
****Somebody take away this gift of mine  
****No charisma for the beast!  
****But still I love you, forevermore!**

Both voices dropped out as the instruments took over. They slowly faded, leaving only the synth to echo the eerie notes of the guitar's opening.

**The man's voice returned, a harsh whisper this time.  
****  
Come to me  
****Deliver me from you  
****And from all the days of the earth**

Slowly, the lights began to fade as Kagome, unaccompanied, closed out the song and the show.

_No last words to say  
__Only memories remain  
__A farewell then, my path goes forever on_

* * *

"Sess!" Inuyasha was getting really tired of pounding on this damn door. "Quit acting like a fuckin' woman and get out here!" 

Behind him, Rin's brother, Marcus, was shaking his head in amusement. Miroku , sporting his favorite deep purple button up under his black suit coat, turned to the other man, "Might as well head up there."

Marcus nodded, "Entertaining as this is, I need to check on Crystal. I'm not sure how all this excitement is going to affect her."

"Oi!" Inuyasha turned to glare at them. "Where the fuck do you think you're going? You've got to help me get this son of a bitch out of here!"

Miroku simply smiled and waved, leaving his friend to deal with the groom.

Out in the hallway, Marcus was already knocking on the door to the room the women had claimed as theirs. Sango, a surprise bridesmaid and self-appointed security guard, poked her head out, recognized him and opened the door. Miroku grinned devilishly and trotted in after the best man.

The instant he entered the room Miroku knew the reason for Rin's odd request that the groomsmen wear specific colors. Crystal, Marcus's wife and the maid of honor, was dressed in a pale blue halter, floor-length skirt and ribbon sash that matched her husband's shirt. Sango, the lech was delighted to find, was wearing a deep purple sleeveless top and floor length skirt along with a broad sash that emphasized her trim waist.

'But why the red?' Miroku mused, recalling the burgundy shirt that Inuyasha had had no problem donning. He glanced around the room until he spotted the woman kneeling and telling the bouncing bride to sit still or else ruin her eyeliner. A rather cruel smile crossed his lips. 'Yash is going to flip.'

Kagome, liner in hand, was kneeling in a burgundy strapless corset, long, flowing skirt and a sheer, long-sleeved, bolero-style shrug. She applied the last touch of liner, leaned back and smiled. "Miroku! Come over here! Tell me what you think!"

Never having been one to pass up the opportunity to see a beautiful woman close-up, he practically leapt over to them.

Rin, obviously hyper and nervous, bounced slightly and looked up at him. "It's not terrible, is it?"

The dress looked like something out of a fairy tale, creamy ivory fabric with lush embroidery around the hem of the full skirt and top of the bodice detailing a golden, curving trellis with vines and pale blue and pink flowers covering it. The veil was only fingertip length, set with a tiara matching the embroidery. The make-up was muted: light, neutral browns around the eyes and an earthy rose on her lips.

Smiling reassuringly, Miroku bowed, taking one of her gloved hands and kissing the back lightly. "A vision, Milady."

Marcus quickly thwapped him upside the head. "No funny business."

* * *

"They hate me," Inuyasha intoned, keeping a tight half-smile on his face, guiding the woman next to him down the stone path to the lily-covered arch. 

Holding his arm, also smiling, Kagome asked, _sotto voce_, "Who hates you?"

"The gods."

"Really now?" she flashed a brilliant smile to the priest, who'd given them an odd look.

"I have possibly the clingiest woman in the world next to me," he ignored the playful nudge she gave him. "And I get the feeling I'll need an insulin shot before all this is over."

"Be glad you're wearing comfortable shoes," she remarked, already wanting out of the heels she was wearing.

Naraku, who had also been invited and apparently had excellent hearing, let out a muted cough. The pair took the hint and shut up.

Ahead of them, Crystal and Marcus kissed lightly, drawing a round of 'Awwwww's from the women, and took their places.

"…Help me lech, if you pull one stunt…" Sango was warning in an undertone.

Miroku merely smiled softly and kissed her cheek, murmuring something too low to hear, but that drew a light smile from Sango. Then they too took their spots.

Kagome and Inuyasha glanced at each other out of the corners of their eyes. 'Aw, hell no!' protested their minds. 'This was not in the program!'

Inutaisho raised an eyebrow. 'Do it, goddamnit!'

Tony tilted his head. '….They'd have cute kids…' he blinked. 'The hell? I'm turning into my wife!'

Inuyasha swallowed, muttered an 'I'm going to kill her' and gently placed his lips on Kagome's forehead. They were separated and in their positions in almost the same second.

Several attendees chuckled and there was a suspicious cough that may have come from Kouga's area, but the softly babbling brook made it difficult to tell.

The bridal march started and, predictably, everyone turned. At the beginning of the pavestone walkway was Rin, backlit by the afternoon sun. Holding her father's arm, the bride smiled and began her walk.

* * *

Someone shoved a glass of champagne into Inuyasha's hand and he eyed the drink distastefully. Walking to his place at the head table, he vaguely acknowledged someone shouting "Speech!" 

Noticing that most of the guests' eyes were on him, he raised the glass, called out "Not the best man!" and kept moving.

Taking his seat next to Kagome (Rin's idea, again) he put the glass in front of her.

She smiled at him. "And just what makes you think I'm going to drink that?"

"I don't care if you throw it at Sess," the hanyou smiled tightly. "I don't want it."

Still smiling, she lowered her voice. "Everything set up?"

Following her lead and lowering his own voice to a near whisper, he answered, "Everything's backstage and the guys know 7:15."

She relaxed and went quiet. Watching the bride and groom dance, she mused, "Just tonight."

Inuyasha nodded. "Then you're stuck on a bus with six guys and Sango."

She laughed slightly, a gentle smile on her face as the song ended and Rin led her groom to the cake table.

Sesshoumaru earned a few coos as he delicately fed Rin a small bite of the cake. Rin earned laughs and a huge cheer, from Inuyasha of course, when she not-so-delicately shoved a not-so-small bite of the cake into Sesshoumaru's face.

Mushed cake hid what may have been a smile as Sesshoumaru wiped some of the frosting from his face and swiped a white trail down Rin's cheek. Her eyes narrowed slightly and Sesshoumaru inclined his head before walking away…rather quickly, actually.

Rin smiled brightly and, gathering her skirts, took off after her husband, catching up to him quickly and leaping onto his back.

Grimacing to hide the smile that wanted to push through, Inuyasha muttered, "They're being so cute it's making me sick."

"Normally," Kagome tilted her head."I'd smack you for that. But your brother's starting to scare me."

* * *

Precisely at 7:15 PM, Kagome, having moved to the stage with the rest of the band, made a request of the gathered people. "If you would all please turn your attention to the Western window, we have a…Gift, for the bride." 

As the crowd complied, Sesshoumaru at the front, hugging Rin from behind, Naraku began a very simple intro. Miroku soon joined him, adding soft, infrequent beats. Kagome joined and the three soon established a rhythm.

_The sun is sleeping quietly  
__Once upon a century  
__Wistful oceans calm and red  
__Ardent caresses laid to rest_

Sunsets weren't uncommon. Eclipses were slightly more rare. The combination of the two…That was nearly a miracle. And it was exactly what was happening just outside the window.

_For my dreams, I hold my life  
__For wishes, I behold my nights  
__A truth at the end of time  
__Losing faith makes a crime_

The keys and drums gained power as Kouga joined the mix. Kagome's voice grew stronger, a contrast to the soft, soothing tone she'd been using.

_I wish for this nighttime  
__To last for a lifetime  
__The darkness around me  
__Shores of the solar sea  
__Oh, how I wish to go down with the sun  
__Sleeping  
__Weeping  
__With you_

As they all transitioned back to the verse, Inuyasha began adding simple, infrequent chords.

_Sorrow has a human heart  
__From my god it will depart  
__I'd sail before a thousand moons  
__Never finding where to go_

_Two-hundred twenty-two days of light  
__Will be desired by a night  
__A moment for the poet's play  
__Until there's nothing left to say_

The chorus came again and Inuyasha dropped out, biding his time. As the chorus ended, what sounded like a choir began. Kagome backed away from the mic and, after a couple measures, opened her mouth. What would have been an overpowering vocalization in another circumstance was nearly hidden by the amped instruments, lending an ethereal quality to the moment.

The eclipsed sun was midway below the horizon when the guitar solo began. Flowing and melodic, Sesshoumaru silently admitted that it was unlike anything he'd heard his brother come up with before.

A sustained chord faded out as the chorus came back in, ending with only Kagome's voice, just as the final rays of light slipped from view.

Rin, wiping a single tear from her eye, made a mental note to buy the band the biggest 'just 'cause' presents she could think of.

* * *

Waving goodbye to her father and a sleeping Shippou, Kagome climbed on the bus, dead tired and glad to be out of that infernal dress. Turning, she nodded to JT, their driver for the next year, before making her way to the back of the bus. 

She reached the sleeping area and frowned. There were eight beds, enough for the band, Tero, Sango, and the imp of a tour manager. Seven of said beds had the curtains wide open, their occupants either ignoring her or grinning at her as she realized just who she'd be bunking below.

Resisting the urge to throw her bag at the imp in the top bunk, Kagome opened the curtain to her new, cramped, semi-permanent bed. Her annoyance fled, replaced by a gentle warmth as she picked up the soft, brown teddy bear the curtain had shielded.

* * *

_**A/N2: I had a couple of requests for Wishmaster and Elvenpath, so there they are. The acoustic song Tero and Kagome perform is**_ _**'Erämaajärvi' off Nightwish's Angels Fall First album. And for the record, I like the song 'Seven Deadly Sins'...Just not when I'm annoyed. Go show Nightwish some love, eh? Trust me, the new album is/will be awesome.**_

**_Thus ends Part I. Stay tuned for the tour._**


	16. Chapter Fourteen

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing...Except perhaps the names of the bands...'Sacrament of Wilderness' belongs to Maestro Holopainen. 'Follow the Blind' belongs to Master Hietala. 'Die Alive' otherwise known as 'The-Catchiest-3-Note-Phrase-You'll-Ever-Hear' belongs to someone in Tarja's crew. Ruisrock, a Finnish music festival belongs to whoever came up with it. _**

**_A/N: This chapter is as short as it is because my flash drive has reverted to 'I-HATESES-You' mode and I felt bad about not updating before Christmas. So here's a pint-sized chapter from me to you...Just imagine that there's a little ribbon tied around it. _**

* * *

Three days into the tour and Miroku was on 'Kagome duty'. Or Kagome was on 'Miroku duty'. No one was really sure. Not even Kagome, who figured that she should have been indignant and/or informed.

They'd arrived in Springfield late the night before and the members of Nightcry were just heading out to see the town. Dead Right's crew was at the venue setting up and the headliners were enjoying their last bit of privacy before they jumped back into the public eye.

David had announced through the band's website that, because they hadn't hit Springfield on the last tour, there was going to be a special show for the small city. Kagome wasn't all too sure of what that meant, but she knew that Jaken had thrown a fit and the word 'memorial' had been said.

While not a rabid fangirl of the band, the singer knew that just after the end of the band's fourth album tour their second vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Tobias Wincher, had been killed. She also knew that the band had talked about replacing him and had even gone so far as to say that they were in talks with someone before they abruptly dropped the idea and re-entered the music world as a three man unit.

Noticing that Miroku was eying Sango again, Kagome quickly smacked him upside the head before continuing her musing. She wondered if the guys had run into whoever it was they'd been in talks with.

* * *

Kagome was going to have to have a talk with a certain guitarist. He'd missed the sound-check and hadn't been seen until moments before they were on. It made her nervous, and if there was one thing she _didn't_ need to be, it was nervous. 

Sure, they were at the end of their set and he'd yet to miss a note, but that didn't mean that she couldn't be annoyed at him.

Mic in hand, Kagome braced her right foot against the stage monitor, thankful yet again for the earplugs Tero had brought, leaned into the crowd and sang out their final chorus for the night.

_I want to hunt with the tameless heart  
__I want to learn the wisdom of mountains afar  
__We will honor the angel in the snow  
__We will make the streams for all the children flow_

Yelling a 'Thank you very much' and throwing a kiss to the whole crowd, the singer told them to enjoy their night with Dead Right and made her way off the stage, following the band.

Frowning, she noticed that Inuyasha had disappeared again. Sighing in temporary defeat, she settled in to watch the set-up for Dead Right. Approximately 15 minutes later, David made his way onto the stage, followed by the other t- Wait.

One. Two. Three. Four?

The crowd seemed to be just as confused as she was until David spoke.

"How many of you remember our first album?"

Most of the crowd roared their response. David nodded and continued.

"I promised you guys a special show." Forced to scream over the crowd he went on, "You're gonna see everything: from where we came from, to where we could have gone. You ready?!"

Almost without waiting for a response from the crowd, they launched into Dead Right's very first single.

David was true to his word.Over the next 50 minutes they covered material from each of the band's early albums, none of the songs Tobias had sang, but Kagome doubted the crowd noticed nor cared.

The Nightcry singer grudgingly decided to forgive the guitarist that she'd been willing to kill: even though Tobias had taken strictly rhythm parts, they were in no way simple. She was surprised Inuyasha had managed to learn all of them in a day.

"You havin' a good night so far?" David asked, calming down somewhat from the furious pace of the song they'd just finished.

As the crowd, obviously ready for more, screamed, David murmured something to Inuyasha, who nodded and made his way to the wings only to hand Tero his guitar and head back out.

In the meantime, David continued speaking, wiping his face with a towel.

"A lot of you remember Toby. He was a great guy; we still miss him."

The crowd was quiet now: most of them not only remembered Toby; they'd met him.

"After he died, we talked for a while about what we would do. We were going to continue: we didn't know how. We decided that we'd only replace Toby if we found someone as good or better. Unfortunately,the little bastard turned us down."

A few in the crowd laughed.

"But," David announced, his voice becoming more upbeat. "We managed to drag him out onstage. So, now we're gonna give you a taste of what could have been."

Kagome recognized the heavy riff in seconds and was confused: Tarot was practically unknown in the States.

Inuyasha had somehow managed to produce a wireless mic and was moving towards center stage. The voice Kagome remembered from the Phantom performance was almost gentle compared to the rough-edged tones that came from him now.

**Hear the mad dogs barking with the voice of men  
Bodies thrown to the rocks broken, then alive again  
Hear the rats are laughing with the voice of one  
They're all in heaven delivered by our guns**

The next section ended almost on a scream.

**With the multitudes we feed the grinder  
The jaws are closing and the blades will find ya  
**

It was very odd, Kagome mused, hearing David do high harmonies. Inuyasha's voice became slightly less rough and slightly more mocking as he flung his right arm out away from his side, gesturing at something.

**We need no gods of war  
****Petty excuses no more**

His hand became a fist, hitting the air on the downbeat.

**Just what we always wanted  
****The blood of our kind  
****Blind follow the blind**

He turned from the crowd, crossing to stage left, voice dripping in scorn.

**Follow the blind**

The roughness returned as he changed style into more of a wail, flipping into higher tones easily.

**Hear the possessed screaming with the voice of doom  
****The sun goes nova, the earth goes ka-boom**

The almost gutteral tone of the last syllable made the hair on the back of Kagome's neck stand up. He was back in the normal key and continuing almost before she caught up to what was happening.

**Take a flight from Trinity to Novaja Zemlya  
****The pyre is blazing and the flames will find ya**

David again added his unnerving harmonies.

**We need no gods of war  
****Petty excuses no more**

This time, the crowd was the one with its fist in the air, prompting a nod from Inuyasha as he again crossed the stage.

**Just what we always wanted  
****The blood of our kind  
****Blind follow the blind**

David took over for the solo as Inuyasha goaded the crowd. Almost too soon, the sound of the guitar faded out and the stage lights went to black. An eerie sequence of sounds played over the speakers. After a moment, the guitar played four harsh chords, each accented by a flash from one of the overhead spots. The final spot found Inuyasha crouching between two of the stage monitors at the very front of the stage.

He gave an unsettling smirk and continued in a whisper, somehow underlying it with a gutteral growl.

**And the stones they're sighing with the voice of the dead  
****Who lie below them with the worms they've fed**

The whisper disappeared slowly, leaving an utterly dangerous growl.

**And when all that's living is shattered by thunder**

He rose slowly,the growl working its way into a scream.

**We'll raise the dead you yourself will find ya**

He turned his back on the crowd then, moving to face off with David.

**There ain't no noble cause  
****Just mindless applause  
****The whetting stones ride on  
****Stroking blades till dawn  
****We need no gods of war  
****Petty excuses no more  
****Just what we always wanted  
****The blood of our kind  
****Blind follow the blind**

The riff from the beginning returned and Inuyasha adopted a peculiar blend of a wail and a growl, enunciating everything almost too clearly.

**Follow the blind**

A maniacal laugh began to echo throughout the venue as he continued, toying with the pitches in an almost insane way.

**Follow the blind  
****Follow the blind**

A second, even more disturbing laugh joined the first as he held on to a vowel, methodically sliding up the scale, continuing for longer than should have been possible.

**Follow the blind**

Instruments continued frenetically, nearly overwhelmed by the laughter. Then, abruptly,it all stopped. Still holding the mic in one hand, Inuyasha shook David's hand and allowed himself to be half-hugged before giving the crowd a short wave and leaving the stage.

Kagome was _definitely_ going to have to have a talk with him.

* * *

"You idiot!" 

Inuyasha flinched,both from the obviously angry voice and the hand that violently made contact with the back of his head.

"What the hell were you thinking?" the voice continued.

Confused, he answered, "That this chair might be comfortable?"

"You turned them down?" she shrieked.

"Oh," comprehension dawned. "That."

"Yes, that."

He turned his head and Kagome came into view, arms crossed and lips pursed in righteous anger.

"You could have been doing what you love, and you turned them down?" she shook her head. "What the _hell _were you thinking?" she reiterated.

"Hey, I was already doing what I wanted to," he defended.

"What?" her head tilted and her eyes flashed in challenge. "Nothing?"

"I was sessioning, you dumbass!"

Her eyes widened and she looked like she'd choked. "Helping pop-tartlets climb their way up the ladder? _That_ was what you wanted to do?"

His own eyes narrowed. "I didn't say that."

"Then pray tell, who _did_ you session for?"

Changing tack, he glared at her. "Look, as much as I love doing," he gestured vaguely in the area of the stage, "that: the same style day in and day out gets old."

"Bullshit." She shook her head, then repeated, louder. "_Bull_shit."

When he didn't respond, she turned on her heel, marching off to find David.

* * *

"I think I'm owed an explanation." 

The Dead Right members jumped nearly four feet in the air. Thom, ever reasonable, was the first to recover. "Look, we told him to tell you, but he-"

"I don't care about that," Kagome waved a hand dismissively. "Why'd you take no for an answer?"

The trio, slightly less jittery, exchanged glances. "It's," David began. "It's a long story."

* * *

Two days later, everything was back to semi-normal. Naraku, pointedly ignoring the rest of the bus, turned a page. Honestly, who had come up with Truth or Dare? 

"Sango," Kouga smiled.

"Dare?" The demon exterminator didn't like the look in the Wolf Prince's eye.

"Dare you to sit on Miroku's lap for the rest of the game."

Naraku caught the movement of a petite figure out of the corner of his eye. Raising an eyebrow, he shot the singer a questioning glance as she sat down with her own book.

Sighing, the woman murmured, "I can't beat 'em, but I sure as hell ain't joining them."

Satisfied with the answer, he returned his attention to his book just in time to hear an accented voice say,"I dare you to kiss someone on the bus."

Given the hanyou's growl, Naraku thought the Finn would be running for cover, but the figure that stalked past him was nowhere near as scrawny as the mixer. The keyboardist peered over the top of his book, only slightly curious.

"Can I help you?"Kagome's slightly annoyed, slightly cold voice asked.

Naraku watched in fascination as, apparently deciding that it would be best to get it over with, the hanyou bent, quickly captured the woman's lips, and stalked back to his seat. Kagome's fingertips lingered a fraction of a second too long at her lips, a confused expression adorning her features, and Naraku felt a pang of pity for her.

"There!" the guitarist's voice came. "It's done. Ya happy?"

The singer deflated slightly, then shook her head and returned to her book, hands barely trembling.

Dark red eyes flitted from singer, to guitarist, to tech, before settling on the words in front of them.This was going to be a long tour.

* * *

It was past one in the morning when Inuyasha finally decided that he was not going to be able to sleep. He rolled out of his bunk and made his way towards what passed for the bus's common area. He was rummaging through the overhead 'cupboard' when a vague presence tickled the back of his mind and a voice came from over his shoulder. 

"Interesting day today, eh?"

He was willing to bet that the keyboardist had look of subtle interest.

"Not the word I'd use," he sighed, giving up on his search for Ramen in favor of facing Naraku. "But sure."

The eerie red eyes narrowed a fraction. "Have fun with your 'game'?"

Leaning on the counter, Inuyasha crossed his arms across his chest. "There a point to this? Or you just wanna play Twenty Questions?"

Naraku ignored him. "I have to admit, I'm a bit confused. I don't remember Kagome saying she was playing."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "That's what this is about?"

When the keyboardist didn't answer, the hanyou growled slightly. "Look, Sango would have slaughtered me, and there's no way I was going near any of you guys. That's it. Alright? Satisfied?"

Giving a look that only a disappointed parent can manage, Naraku shook his head. "She's got her own shit to deal with. She doesn't need you fucking with her head."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to retort, but Naraku cut him off, brushing past the hanyou towards the sleeping area. "Learn to fucking read people, would you?"

Confused and annoyed, Inuyasha couldn't tell if it was a soft snore or a sniffle that came from the bunks.

* * *

Mary-fuckin'-Sunshine had emerged, in the form of a maroon-eyed keyboardist. 

"I'm heating some water," he told the bleary-eyed singer. "Go wash up. It should be ready when you get back."

Inuyasha watched as Kagome smiled gratefully, if not sleepily, at Naraku before stumbling off towards the broom-closet of a bathroom. The keyboardist gave him an irritatingly disapproving glare and the hanyou felt a growl build up.

Trying to ward off a keyboardist-induced headache, Inuyasha was a little short with Kagome when she returned. "How many times do I have to tell you to _take that fucking thing off_?"

Noticing her stricken look and the way her hand trembled slightly when she set the offending bracelet in front of him, he felt like the world's biggest ass.

Naraku handed the singer a mug of tea and shooed her off towards where the rest of the group was crowding a PlayStation before turning an even stronger glare on the hanyou.

Defenses in place yet again, Inuyasha simply raised an eyebrow before turning to stare out the window.

This was gonna be a _really_ long fucking tour.

* * *

Night four of the Great Ramen Hunt and still no success. A growl a mere decibel from emerging, Inuyasha slammed the umpteenth cupboard door and leaned against the wall. If he'd ever admit to doing something as childish as pouting, that would be what he'd say he was doing. 

He'd checked the overhead compartments. _Three_ _notes_. He'd checked all the- _three notes_- cupboards in and around the 'kitchen'. _Three notes_. He'd checked the-_ three_-

"Would you just write them down and be done with it?" he hissed to the woman humming to herself.

There was a thud, probably what she'd call a 'headdesk', and a keening, "But it's not even a line!"

Letting his head hit the wall, he retorted, "Then make it one!"

He could hear her fingernails tapping against the table in the same measured rhythm she'd been humming and moved toward the sound.

Her fingers never stopped moving as she addressed him, inserting random sung phrases as she tried to fit words to the melody in her head.

"Miroku thinks- _my whole life_- that you'll be- _tie your mind_- the first to crack."

"Kouga says the same about you."

"Kouga is a- _minor lie_- nut."

He slid into the booth across from her. "And Miroku isn't?"

"Point- _dying cry_- taken," she shook her head. "This is getting me nowhere."

Raising an eyebrow and trying not to smile, Inuyasha simply suggested, "Stick with 'die', then."

That sent her off on another bout of phrases- everything from 'die with pride' to 'clowns should die'.

His smile was a bit harder to contain when he announced, "Jaken says he got us a slot at Ruisrock this year."

"_Die in time-_ Jaken is a little crackmonkey."

He snorted outright at that. "Really now?"

"JP is sick," Kagome nodded. "Tony called me- _Die for life- _JP being sick means neither Charon nor Northern Kings can perform."

"Which leaves two slots open," he nodded. "Which Sess naturally snatched."

She shrugged. "At least I'll miss the annual Karaoke Party."

"I get the feeling there's a story there that I don't want to hear."

"Oh no," she smiled. "According to Tero, it's the funniest thing since that drinking song he's so fond of. _Die alive_- I must be getting tired," her forehead rested against her folded arms. "That doesn't even make sense."

Shrugging, he stood. Then, a thought hit him and he gently ruffled her hair. "Sure it does."

Her head lifted slightly and her brow knit before she smiled slowly. "Game room, left wall, third set, second door."

Golden eyes narrowed accusingly. "It was you!"

Azure eyes widened in the infamous innocent 'moi?'. "So, when are we flying out?"

Spinning on his heel and heading for the game room, Inuyasha grinned evilly as he answered, "Where d'you think we're going now?"

There was a moment of silence before-

"God_damnit!"_

* * *

**_A/N: So, Yash and Kags are feuding...Or are they? Either way, Naraku's had enough. And just what is this about a 'Karaoke Party'? Anyway, please check out Tarot: they're awesome (and nearly impossible to import, sadly). And also, check out Tarja's solo album: she's showing off her own style and it works. _**

**_Anyway, Happy Chrisma-Channu-Kwanzaa-ka to you and yours. Stay safe. Stay warm. Share love. And, as always, review please..._**


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